Touchdown  A Matt Donovan Diary Volume 1
by flashtrager1398
Summary: Set after episode 3x15. Matt Donovan fights for the survival of him and his friends while the Originals and other supernatural forces wreck havoc on Mystic Falls.
1. Touchdown

**Matt Donovan's P.O.V.**

I looked down at Alaric's unconscious body and the front door to the Salvatore manor flew open. "Caroline." I said seeing her carrying Abby Bennett in her arms.

"They took her." Caroline said, laying Abby on the couch opposite Alaric. "They took her." She said again tears streaming down her face.

"What happened?" Elena asked taking a step forward.

"I tried to stop him. We tried to stop him." Caroline went on. I stepped forward putting my hands on either side of her face.

"Caroline, calm down. Take a breath." She nodded as Stefan and Damon walked into the room.

"Bonnie, they took Bonnie." Caroline finally said and my hands slid away from her face.

"Who?" Damon asked.

"Kol." She answered.

"He's back in town?" Elena asked looking to Stefan.

"It doesn't make sense. Why would they take Bonnie?" Stefan asked turning to Damon.

"Maybe it has something to do with the white oak." Damon said.

"They need her for a spell?" Elena asked.

"I thought all they had to do was burn it down." I said.

"Maybe they want a more definite solution." Damon thought aloud.

"Well what do we do? How do we get Bonnie back?" Elena asked still staring at the Salvatore brothers.

"We don't. They're three originals holding onto her." Damon said.

"What?" I asked.

"This is Bonnie we're talking about. We can't just leave her with them." Elena snapped. "We have to do something."

"Like what Elena? We don't even know why they took her. We don't have enough man power or –" Damon started but Elena interrupted, "Damon if it were me -" Damon jumped in shouting over her, "But it's not you Elena! It's Bonnie."

Elena looked to Stefan, "We don't even know what they're up to. It would be suicide." He said.

She shook her head, "I can't just let them kill her."

I caught Caroline's eye and motioned for her to follow me outside. She looked hesitant but followed as I made my way out of the Salvatore's home. "Come on." I said so Caroline would pick up her pace I didn't want anyone to realize we'd snuck off.

"Where are we going?" she finally asked as we reached my pick up.

"The Mikaelson's, we need to find out what they have planned and I've got an idea."

"What about the others. I mean shouldn't we at least-"

"Caroline, you still arguing with Rebekah about the Sheriff's Yearly Raffle tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, but I really think-"

"Look I need you to distract her while I try and figure out what it is they're up to."

"How will you even know where to look?" Caroline shot back.

"Remember when Kol crushed my hand at the Mikaelson's ball?"

"Yeah."

"Well, let's just say I got a good look around before I ended up in the E.R. I'm pretty sure I know where to look."

"I don't like this. You want me to help you break into the Mikaelson slaughter house. Damon or Stefan could get in and out a lot faster and a hell of a lot quieter then you. Besides what if something goes wrong?"

"Then you'll be right down stairs. We can do this Caroline. I can do this."

She took a deep breath and exhaled raking her fingers through her long blonde hair before finally agreeing with me, "Fine, but we're taking my car."

I positioned myself round back and just as Caroline rang the door bell I opened one of the many back doors. The enormous room was immaculate but not the room I was looking for. I needed to get to the second floor. I let out a deep breath and moved over to the main foyer where Rebekah and Caroline were exchanging catty banter. I walked up the stairs keeping my back to the wall. After reaching the second floor landing I turned right trying to remember if it was the second or the third room from the stair case. I guessed third and smiled looking into the cluttered study. I'd known Bonnie wouldn't be here but a part of me had hoped that maybe she would have been.

I pushed the small defeat to the back of my mind and as quietly as I could made my way to the desk. I trifled through the top books and papers, skimming through journals mentioning the white oak, until finally finding what I was looking for.

This wasn't exactly good news. I sighed shoved the spell book in a satchel I found on the floor and then started looking through the draws when I found them. Three daggers, the daggers Elena had mentioned and a small bottle of ashes next to them. I opened the bottle immediately and dipped one of the daggers in. I closed the bottle and just then "Hello Matthew." I laid the dagger on the desk and turned to see Kol Mikaelson's face.

"Kol." I said.

"Well we have quite the busy body. Tsk tsk tsk. What have we got here?" he asked seeing the satchel and I threw it to the floor. He smiled. My hand wrapped around the daggerthat lay on the desk behind my back. "Need a hand?" he lunged at me and I took a step forward hoping the dagger would get his heart. He stopped dead in his tracks.

His skin started to grey, and he collapsed to the floor. I didn't know what to do. I knifed an original. I turned to the window and looked back at Kol. I couldn't leave him here. They'd pull the dagger out. The daggers, I went back to the desk and took the other two daggers along with the bottled ash and threw them in the satchel. I took a deep breath and tossed it out the window. I walked over to Kol and lifted him off the ground barely and drug him over to the window. I was trying to take small shallow breaths so Rebekah wouldn't hear me but it was only a matter of time before Caroline's jig would be up. I leaned him against the sill of the window and flung him half way out then grabbed his feet and he slid out like water. I hadn't heard the thud from his fall but I didn't have vampire hearing or a dagger to even try to stab Rebekah. My mind suddenly went to Klaus and I froze.

He would have noticed something by now if he were here. I reassured myself and then climbed out onto the roof of the mansion and climbed down the ornate lattice by the window. I hopped down and text Caroline to leave her post and come help me out. I threw the satchel over my shoulder and grabbed Kol's broad shoulders. Caroline appeared next to me almost instantly and gave me the 'what did you do look'. I returned it with a 'what does it look like help me out here' glare and she lifted Kol into her arms and ran off to her car.

By the time I reached her she had already thrown Kol in the trunk. "What the hell happened? How'd you get one up on an original?"

"Definitely luck." I exhaled getting into the passenger side door along with Caroline. I strapped on my seat belt and when I looked up Rebekah was standing in front Caroline's car.

The blonde walked over to my side of the car and opened the door, "Leaving without a proper good bye are we?" she said reaching in and undoing my seat belt. "This will only take a minute darling." She said to Caroline who glared at her from her seat. I got out of the car and Rebekah closed the door. "Thank you." She said after a moment's pause.

"What?" I asked dumb founded.

"For whatever you said to Caroline to change her mind about the raffle. She didn't say as much but when I caught your scent in the back yard I knew it had to be you, that girl is just incapable of being nice on her own." I smiled and my pulse slowed.

"It was nothing really." I said looking back over to Caroline.

"Anyway I just wanted to thank you." I nodded and turned to go, when she continued on, "and apologize, for Kol." I turned around and looked her in the eye. She knew. "at the ball everything that happened with your hand and all. Does it still bother you?" She didn't know.

"It's fine. I mean it still flares up every now and then but it's nothing I can't handle." She smiled at my response and walked back toward the house. I got back in the car and we drove off.

"What were you thinking?" Elena yelled, "You could have been killed."

"But he wasn't," Damon snapped back in my defense, "Even bagged himself an Original. Touchdown for the Quarterback." He smirked giving me a pat on the back.

"It was reckless, Damon." Stefan said, looking at his brother.

"Caroline had my back, besides now we know what they need Bonnie for." I added.

"They're going to burn down the white oak like last time only now they're going to perform a spell to severe all magical properties the ash has over them." Caroline said.

"Which means the daggers will be useless." Elena said from the doorway. Only it wasn't Elena it was Katherine.

"Katherine." Elena said glaring down her ancestor.

"No, Its Taylor Lautner." Katherine snapped walking into the room. "I hear you're going to kill Klaus."

"What?" Damon said.

"We're going to rescue Bonnie." I jumped in.

"Aw how cute pretending that the little people in the story matter." She rolled her eyes. "If you're making a move I want in."

"Who says we want you as part of the team?" Damon quipped and Katherine looked over to Caroline.

"You said we needed man power. I figure you two plus me and Abby not enough to kill Klaus seeing as Katherine kicked your ass the last time you two took her on. So I figured…" Caroline trailed off and Katherine picked up where she left off, "Why not call in the champ. Plus I'm the oldest vampire either of you know a.k.a the strongest."

"What exactly do they need for the spell?" Elena asked ignoring Katherine.

"It says something about the lover must cover the earth before the servant can steal away the ashes power." Caroline read aloud.

"Well what the hell does that mean?" Damon asked looking around.

"It means that the witch's lover must be killed at the beginning of the spell and that the witch dies after the tree has turned to ash." Abby said walking into the room. She didn't look as bad as when Caroline had carried her in earlier.

"What?" Elena asked the wheels in her head turning and then a light bulb over my own head clicked on.

"Jeremy." I said.

"Why are we stopping here first we should be going to my house to get supplies?" Elena asked anxiously from the passenger seat of my pick up.

"I just need to get something. It'll take two seconds." I answered opening the car door.

"Matt, we don't have two seconds. They have Jeremy." She plead.

"I know that Elena, but I'll be right back." I snapped, slamming the door shut. "You know Bonnie is still out there. Just because Jeremy is involved now, it doesn't mean she's transported to some safe location and she'll be okay. Bonnie is still out there." I turned toward the Grill's employee entrance.

Once I walked inside I made my way over to my locker and spun in the combination. The door opened and I took Vicki's St. Anthony chain off the small hook on the door. The gold flashed and clipped it around my neck. I closed the locker and walked out through the bar.

"Matt." He voice rang through the air and as I turned around Rebekah was walking toward me. "I didn't think you were working tonight." She said plainly. I looked down at my plaid shirt and blue jeans, then back to her, "Right no uniform." I smiled at her my heart beating a million miles a minute and turned to walk away. "Stay for a drink with me then?" she asked and sighed. "Please, I was supposed to meet my brother Kol, but he seems to have found himself detained."

I turned back around and two drinks were already sitting in front of her. I sighed, "One drink. Elena's waiting for me." I sat down next to her and smiled trying to keep my composure.

"Do I make you nervous?" she asked as I reached for the mystery drink she handed me, "It's Whiskey and Coke." She said aloud almost reading my mind.

"No." I answered.

"You're lying to me." She snapped back.

"What?"

"I said you're lying to me. Remember I'm a vampire Matt if I pay attention I can hear your heart beat, and lately every time you see me your heart practically jumps into my hands." She smiled taking a sip of her drink. "So that leads me to believe that you're reconsidering your harsh words to me that night after the ball."

I took a sip of my drink. "Look Rebekah," I looked to the front door, "I liked you but then the whole thing with your brother happened and now all this stuff with Bonnie."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you and your brothers kidnapped her. I know that you're using her for some spell, and I know you that if things pan out the way you want them to that Bonnie and Jeremy will probably be dead by the end of the night." I stood up and finished my drink. "Thanks for the drink, but I should get going. I've gotta go help my friends."

"Matt." She reached out grabbing my arm, "You can't interfere not tonight. If you and the others show up at the tree tonight you'll just be lining up for a slaughter." I looked her in the eye, "Please."

"You should let go of me now." I said glaring her down. She let go slowly, and then she wasn't the sweet girl I'd given my jacket to at the ball.

"Fine, see if I care if my brothers rip you apart or if the hybrids tear your friends to shreds." She got up and stormed off and I walked back to my truck.

"There four of them." I said, looking through the scope of my rifle.

"And Tyler." Caroline sighed.

"Look don't worry about Tyler. I'll take care of him." Alaric said patting Caroline on the back. She nodded and walked over to Stefan, Damon, Abby, and Katherine.

I turned to Elena, "You gonna be alright?"

"Yeah," she answered, "Just nervous. I mean I'm about to kill someone."

"A hybrid, someone who will kill you if you miss the shot. Remember fire on three with Alaric and me, then take off further into the woods."

"That's the part I'm unsure about I mean why are we waiting why don't we just run in to save Jeremy right away. I didn't even see him down there." Elena said anxiously.

"Bonnie's down there so Jeremy should be too, we have to give Caroline and the others time to stake Rebekah and Klaus."

"And in the mean time we do what?" she asked heatedly.

"The same thing you all expect me to do wait." I turned and walked away from her and to Alaric but Caroline grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the rest of the group.

"I don't know what Tyler is down there." She said, frowning.

"Look, Damon said he was pretty sure that when Klaus dies the sire bond will be-"

"You don't get it. Klaus took away the bond. I saw it with myself."

"Which means…"

"I don't know." She whined and I looked over to Damon. "No." she went on, "We can't tell him. They'll kill him on the spot."

"If he's working with Klaus he'll kill you on the spot."

"Matt please." She begged and I just shook my head.

"Fine." I turned from her and made my way to Alaric, to get more ammo for my rifle.

"Does anyone see the witch?" I asked, still staring through the scope of my gun.

"No." they each said after a beat.

"I see Damon though." Elena said, "and Stefan."

"Get an aim on your hybrid now Elena. Let Alaric and me worry about the others."

"He's right," Rick joined in, "You have the least experience with a gun. You might need a second shot."

I kept a close eye on Caroline and Katherine through my scope. Even though she wasn't Elena the fact that Katherine looked so much like her threw me off and kind of made me want to keep her as safe as I wanted to keep Elena. "They're about to reach the clearing where the white oak is." Alaric said, and I turned my rifle on the chest of the hybrid closest to Tyler.

"They're talking." Elena said.

"Focus on the big one Elena." We'd given Elena the largest Hybrid in hopes that if she missed at least he'd go down and Alaric or I could get off a second shot. "Alaric?" he was supposed to be looking out for the signal.

"One," he said starting the countdown. "Two." I locked onto the small brunette standing beside Tyler, aiming it centered at her chest, "Three." I pulled the trigger there was an explosion of gunfire.

My target went down and I moved my scope to Elena's who hadn't been hit at all. I took a deep breath aimed for his chest and shot. He went down. I stood up and grabbed Elena. "Come on." I said and dragged her through the woods. The pair of us ran leaving Alaric to run in the opposite direction.

We'd run for less than five minutes when Elena was ripped from my arms and tossed against a tree. She slunk down to the ground. I turned as Rebekah grabbed my throat and slammed me against the trunk of another enormous tree. I groaned in pain, and she smirked. "Sorry Riding Hood, I may have warned you about the wolves but I forgot to warn you about the bats." The blood rushed to her eyes and her fangs came out. She threw her head back and I felt them sink into my neck. I tried to free myself from her grasp but the harder I tried to get away the more ferociously she bit. I winced in pain as she finally pulled away from me. My blood oozed down my neck seeping into my shirt. I lost my footing and she caught me. "Now, now Matt I wouldn't want you to miss anything." She said and grabbed a fist full of my hair bashing my head against the tree. She tore open my flannel shirt and exposed my bare chest to the autumn chill. I could see puffs of my breath escaping my mouth as Rebekah smiled wickedly. "Nice." She said staring at my torso. She suddenly dug her fingers into my shoulder and raked them across my chest, a trail of blood following the graze of her talons.

I screamed and put her hand over my mouth. "Tsk tsk tsk." She snickered, "You're the one who has everyone else's back Matt but when you need rescuing who has yours?" she asked and then she leaned forward just a bit a gasp escaping her lips.

"The same one who has yours." Elena said and I pushed Rebekah off me as she fell to the floor collapsing in a heap of grey colored skin, a dagger sticking out of her back. I tried to compose myself but the shirt was a lost cause my whole chest was covered in blood. "Call me backstabber." She smiled and bent down get my rifle and hand it to me.

"Elena!" the screams came deep from within the woods, in the opposite direction of the tree. "Elena!" the voice screamed again, Stefan's voice.

"Come on." I said, motioning for her to follow me to the tree. Where we were needed.

"Matt." She begged and pulled her arm away.

I shook my head, "You still have the last dagger?" I asked not wanting to separate but Bonnie was more important to me than Stefan ever would be. She nodded and I took off into the woods toward the white oak.

My chest heaved for air as I burst through the brush and into the clearing. My heart raced as I scanned the ground for Bonnie. The clearing was surrounded by torches that lit up the entire field like an arena. "Matt!" The scream came from a make shift alter at the other end of the meadow. A guy a little older than me stood above her chanting raising some strange stick around. I pulled my rifle up and got the warlock in my sights when my gun was ripped from my hands.

"Now now, that's cheating." Klaus said with a smirk Caroline leapt onto his back moving his head from side to side. The bones in his neck snapped repeatedly and he collapsed to the ground.

"Go!" she yelled and jumped up into the tree line surrounding the field. I could hear Klaus' bones starting to snap back into place. I ran getting closer to Bonnie and Klaus' hand reached out to grab me as Katherine tackled him to the ground. He snapped at her with his teeth and Damon pulled him back tossing him to the opposite side of the field. I kept running and Klaus made another mad dash for me. Caroline charged out of nowhere heading right for Klaus and as they were about to collide baseball slid between his legs, just as Katherine leapt up into the air drop kicking him in the back.

I raced up the altar and punched the wand waving lunatic in the jaw. He fell from his perch onto the ground as I knelt down to undo Bonnie's bindings. "Matt." She sobbed as I pulled at the rope around her wrists.

"It's okay. Everything's gonna be fine." I consoled.

"Matt!" she screamed and I turned around just in time to see the psycho I'd just decked raise a knife to stab me in the chest fly back off the altar and onto the ground where he was just seconds ago.

Two figures, a guy and girl walked up behind me both holding hands. "Your soul is as dark as night, we bind your magick with our might." They chanted walking closer and closer to him as he screamed no over and over. I bent down and pulled the rope from Bonnie's wrists, just as the lunatic lunged at the female stranger. Her guy companion leapt in front of her the knife slicing across his chest. I jumped from the altar and grabbed the rope with both hands pulled it around the warlock's neck. He screamed letting go of the knife and I tightened my grip. He slammed me against the rock face, but I kept my grip. The rope cutting into my hands as I pulled as hard as I could til I heard the sickening crack I'd heard earlier when Caroline had broken Klaus' neck.

I left his lifeless body fall to the ground. I fell to the earth exhausted in need to catch my breath when I saw Klaus pin Damon to the ground, a stake nearly driven through his chest. Caroline grabbed hold of Klaus' left arm immediately attempting to pull him away and just as Suddenly Katherine was at Klaus' right. I looked for Abby and found her dead on the ground near the tree next to Jeremy's body. Tyler burst through the woods blood covering his face and he lunged for Caroline. The pair crashing to the ground I stood up. Katherine reached around positioning herself behind Klaus trying to keep Damon alive. I raced over to my rifle, lifted it off the ground, locked on to Tyler as he snapped his jaws viciously at Caroline and pulled the trigger. Tyler's whole body arched back and an explosion of blood filled the air. He fell forward and I tossed my gun to the ground. Caroline pushed him off her and stared at her arm a minute and Damon's scream filled the air.

"A little help Caroline!" Katherine shouted as the stake pushed through Damon's chest. Caroline shook her head and in a flash the girls had assumed the same stalemate they had been in earlier, Caroline and Katherine each pulling at Klaus' arms. I looked to Bonnie as the two strangers helped her up. The tree, it wasn't burning. I ran over to a branch and pulled with all my remaining strength, snapping a jagged weapon. I heaved breathing heavy reaching Klaus' back and plunged the stake into his heart. He screamed letting go of Damon, spinning around to hit me so hard I was back in the woods. I got up just in time to see him burst into flames, his body turning to ash.

"Faye Chamberlain. This is Lee LeBeque." The girl said, "Nice pecs ." she added walking back over to Bonnie.

"She can be a bit much." Lee apologized.

"It's fine. Most girls in this town are a bit much." I answered back and he grinned.

"Then it's a good thing I don't plan on staying in town then." He turned and went to join Faye.

I looked over at Damon and Katherine, "Where's Stefan?" I asked.

"He saw something and ran off after it? Nearly got us killed." Katherine said coldly.

I pulled out my cell and dialed Elena, nothing. I tried again but hang up when I noticed Caroline kneeling by Tyler's body. I put my phone away and walked over to her. "Hey." I said. She was crying, "I had to shoot him Caroline. He was gonna kill you."

Her sobs increased as she turned looked up into my eyes extended her arm and showed me the werewolf bite that would infect her blood. "He did." She bawled, and I fell to my knees holding her in my arms, with Klaus dead I couldn't think of a way to cure her.


	2. Hail Mary

Matt Donovan P.O.V.

I pulled Caroline out of the passenger seat of my truck, and lifted her in my arms. Bonnie, Lee and Faye jumped out of the truck bed with me and ran up to the Sheriff's front door, knocking as hard as they could. Caroline's mom hadn't answered by the time I'd reached the porch so I kicked the front door in. Sheriff Forbes greeted me with her gun raised. "Matt." She said, putting her gun down on a nearby hall table. "Oh my God." She gasped as I started up the stairs, the rest following suit.

"Tyler bit her." I said.

"Again?" Sheriff Forbes asked.

"Yes!" I shouted angrily. I placed Caroline on her bed gently as she groaned. Her brow drenched in sweat.

"So I don't get it. This Tyler guy was a vampire right? Are vampire not able to bite other vampires?" Faye asked.

"He was hybrid. Half vampire, half werewolf, and the bite of a werewolf kills a vampire." Bonnie answered while Sheriff Forbes walked to the opposite side of the bed sitting next to her daughter.

"Okay so what cures one of these bites?" Lee asked, raking his fingers through his hair.

"Nothing," Damon said walking into the room, "We just killed the only cure I know of."

"Klaus," I said under my breath. Damon nodded. "So by killing Klaus I just sentenced Caroline to death?" I shook my head walking away from the bed.

""How much time does she have?" Bonnie asked, placing her hand on my shoulder but facing Damon.

"I don't know. When I'd been bit I had two almost three days, but last Caroline was bit it was almost like her symptoms were accelerated, probably had something to do with being bit by a hybrid." Damon continued, looking over to Sheriff Forbes. "Liz, I'm… I'm sorry."

"Just… save my daughter." Liz cried.

I turned back to Caroline and watched her writhe in uncomfortably on her bed. ""I don't know if I can." Damon answered, "But I will do everything I can." He said brushing a piece of Sheriff Forbes hair behind her ear. He walked out of the room and I followed after him.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked while Damon took out his cell phone. He held it to his ear a minute and turned to me.

"The plan is you sit tight while I figure out where Stefan is and then the pair of us figure out how to help Caroline." He started down the stairs.

"You don't think helping Caroline is more important than finding Stefan?" I snapped.

"Where's Elena?" Damon asked.

"What?"

"Elena, you know little brunette you were hanging out in the woods with last I checked."

"I don't know we heard Stefan scream for her and she took off after him."

"You just let her run off on her own?" Damon growled.

"Yeah, I did remember, I kinda saved your life instead of following her around like some lost puppy."

"Well now her and Stefan are both missing."

"I'm more worried about Caroline at the moment. I mean she is the one that dying upstairs."

Suddenly Damon grabbed me by the remnants of my shirt and pinned me to the wall, "Look, I have no idea where to even start to find a way to help Blondie upstairs and you know what, it sucks. Okay."

"What about a spell?" I asked and Damon let me go.

"What?" he asked.

"A spell," I said again, "we could ask Bonnie. See if she can do something."

"I can't help her Matt, not with magic." Bonnie said. It was strange to have someone talking directly to me while I was standing next to Damon, normally I'd be over looked.

"What do mean?" I asked.

"I mean I can't heal a vampire with magic, Matt." I just stared at her.

"Bonnie, we just risked our lives to save you because you're our friend. Are you telling me that you're just going to let her die?"

"You don't understand. Vampires aren't linked to nature the way people are helping her would have severe consequences for me, for everyone."

I shook my head, "I can't believe I'm hearing this."

"I wonder if it was Mama Bennett in there if you'd be acting all high and mighty." Damon said snidely.

"But it isn't, she's lying the same ditch Tyler and the others are, with a stake through her chest."

"Sorry to interrupt," Faye said walking onto the porch Lee following behind her, "but she's not exactly the only witch in town."

"And why would you help us." Damon said pointing to me and him arching his eyebrows.

"Other than the fact that blue eyes here just saved our lives?" Lee asked.

"I need a favor." Faye added smiling,

"How do we know you can even pull off something like this?" Damon asked, staring down Faye.

"You don't, but Lee and I already know exactly what spell to use." She smiled while Lee put his arm around her shoulders.

"You two don't want to do this." Bonnie began, "The imbalance it'll cause-"

"Shut up Bonnie." I snapped, "If you're not going to help us. I think you should go."

"Matt I can't let you do this." She continued.

"Oh my God you're worse than my circle." Faye muttered. Lee grinned as she stepped out of his embrace walking up to Bonnie's face, "Look, we're doing the spell so but out."

"What exactly do you need?" I asked driving Caroline's car, back out to the clearing.

"Callum stole something of mine and I need it back in order to perform the kind of magic your friend needs." Faye smiled at me from the back seat.

Damon turned to look at her. "What pray tell did he steal?"

"A crystal, see my magic is sort of tied up at the moment. The crystal helps magnify my individual power." She answered.

"You were using magic in the field." I said.

"That was different. I was channeling from Lee."

"So you're strong enough to bind another witches magic but not strong enough to do the spell to save Caroline?" I asked.

"That spell would have never worked. It was more of a diversion." she looked over at Lee.

"Thank you, by the way you don't have to do this." I added.

"Well it's quid pro quo. You scratch my back I scratch yours." Faye shot back smiling. "So what's your story?" She continued now looking to Damon.

"Honey, we don't have the time and I don't have the patience." He answered and she just kept on smiling as she slunk back in her seat.

"We're almost there." I said.

"We'll have to walk to the quarry from here." Damon said as I parked and we poured out of the car.

"How much further?" Faye complained latching onto my arm for support as we marched through the woods. Faye stumbled forward one hand clutching the sleeve of my tattered flannel shirt and the other reaching out and hovering over Lee's shoulder.

"Maybe you shouldn't have worn a pair of boot heels to go trekking through the forest." I said as we reached the quarry.

"I didn't see you stopping to change your shirt." She snapped pushing away from me once our feet touched stable ground.

"I'm not complaining about the cold." I shot back, even though I was freezing.

She rolled her eyes. We kept walking a little further till we came across the bodies of those who'd died during the battle earlier. Lee walked right up to Callum and dug into his front pocket, pulling out a large white crystal. Faye clapped her hands together, and then reached out for the crystal. Lee handed it to her a slick smile across her face. She squealed happily and jumped up and down as Lee got to his feet she wrapped her arms around him.

I looked over to Damon as he watched the pair of them closely, and then turned around to face the direction we'd just come in. I followed his gaze and then he groaned in pain falling to his knees, his hands grabbing his head. I knelt down beside him, "Damon!" Bonnie and three others walked out into the quarry as Damon fell to the ground unconscious.

The three strangers, a blonde girl, blonde overly manicure guy, and some emo brunette guy wearing more eyeliner than Faye stood next to Bonnie. I rose to my feet and Faye stepped in front of me, Lee reached for my arm and pulled me a few steps back. "I told you I couldn't let you do this kind of magic Matt. It has consequences." Bonnie shouted. My jaw clenched and Lee put his index finger to his lips. I nodded as he pulled a knife from his back pocket.

"This is wrong Faye!" the blonde girl shouted.

"I didn't think my little field trip would warrant a visit from Cassie Blake and her fan club." Faye responded.

"Faye, don't do this." The girl looking guy said.

"Oh shut up Jake I don't think your master gave you permission to speak." She snapped.

"Faye!" eye makeup said.

"Eat me Adam!" Faye screamed back.

Lee slid the knife across the palm of my hand and I winced as Lee did the same to himself. He held out his hand and I grabbed it instinctively. I could feel the blood from Lee's hand pool into my own palm and spill onto the ground.

"Faye," Cassie started, "Vampires are abominations! We can't heal them!"

"Said the girl with dark magic in her blood. How linked to nature are you?"

"You can't do individual magic Faye! You're just causing drama." Adam added.

Lee slid the knife over my forearm and then his own. We clenched each other's hand as hard as we could. I could feel my face contorting in pain while Lee went down to one knee. I noticed Faye take a step back and she was standing in a small puddle of our blood. "You don't know what drama is." Faye replied. "I hope you brought your family's crystal Cassie. I could use the boost." She lifted the heel of her boot and slammed it into the ground. I felt electricity pull through my body and out of my arm and into the earth. "Boom." She said and there was a crash of thunder. Bonnie and the three others flew back through the air crashing to the ground.

I shook my head and pulled Lee up to his feet. "What was that?" I asked him as Faye walked over to Cassie.

"She used our blood as a conductor to help strengthen her channel to the earth." He answered .

"Got it!" Faye shouted raising another crystal identical to the one that had been taken from Callum just minutes ago.

"Okay so you got what you came for." I said, and Faye looked at me moving my head to the left.

"Yeah, so I'm thinking we should probably get back to your friend as soon as possible." She said after a beat and I exhaled. "What? You didn't think I'd go back on my word, did you?" she asked snidely arching an eye brow.

I smiled feeling more reassured, "Could you blame me?" she walked over placing her arm around me.

"You just helped me bitch slap Cassie Blake and get my solo magic back. You're my hero."

"Okay, so the spell is basically transference." Lee explained, "The bite will move from Caroline here to you." I nodded my head, "and since you're human."

"The poison won't affect you." Damon reassured.

"Okay, let's get started." I said lying on the bed beside Caroline.

Faye walked into the room and closed the door behind her, "Damon pull the bed into the center of the room." She said and Damon did so easily. Faye traced a circle across the bed room floor around the bed and then laid down a circle of salt clockwise. She took a deep breath. Damon on the outside of the circle Lee and Caroline standing at the foot of the bed and Caroline and I laying on the bed. I reached out holding her hand.

"Caroline." I whispered but she didn't move.

I squeezed her hand more tightly and remember our kiss on the stage, painting the banner for the career fair, and getting caught making out with her by my mom. Faye walked over to my side and placed a white rose on my chest. Then walked over to the other side and placed a red one over Caroline. When she reached the foot of the bed she looked over to Lee and he nodded. I felt Faye's hand on my ankle and saw her other hand grab Caroline's. "Damon." She said looking to the vampire by the door, "Don't let anyone get in here, and don't break the circle." Lee placed his hands on her shoulders and the pair of them started talking in French.

Caroline started to move like she was uncomfortable and then she started to scream. "Caroline!" I shouted.

"Matt stay still and don't talk." Lee stated firmly and then rejoined Faye's unbroken chanting. Caroline continued to scream and then she started convulsing. Blood pouring out of her drenching the sheets we lay on. Her grip on my hand tightened and I felt bones start to break. I let out a scream of pain while Damon leaned against the door keeping Sheriff Forbes out. Suddenly there was this pulling feeling in my gut and my blood started to heat up. I was on fire from the inside and my body started shaking uncontrollably as I was cooking from the inside out.

"Something's wrong!" I screamed.

"It's the price for messing with the balance of things. The pain will pass." Lee said, but I could barely make out what he was saying.

My eyes opened slowly and the first person I saw was Meredith Fell. "Hey." I said trying to prop myself up.

"He speaks." She said injecting something into my IV. "You had us worried there for a second."

I looked to my left arm and there was a large gauze pad. "We stitched up the lacerations on your chest and arms also the bites on your arm and neck have been stitched up and gauzed. We're just giving you some vicodin for the pain." I smiled at her weakly.

"Thanks, where's Caroline?" I asked just as my ex walked into my hospital room.

"Hey." She smiled broadly and my own smile perked up.

"It worked."

"Yep," she said, "Good as new."

"We would have given you blood to heal, but the witches said they didn't know how it would affect the spell." Meredith added, but I didn't take my eyes off Caroline, "I'll just give you two a minute." Meredith said and left.

"How are you feeling?" Caroline asked.

"Fine," I lied, my whole body hurt. "How do you feel?"

"Good, I mean minus the fact that I was almost killed by my boyfriend, saved by my ex, and a big chunk of my social circle is laying in the quarry by the falls."

"Anyone hear from Elena or Stefan?" I asked shaking my head.

"No, but on a darker note Rebekah and Kol are missing too."

"What?"

"Yeah, Alaric said they were being stored in the Damon's basement and now they're just gone."

"Alaric, he's okay?" I didn't remember seeing him after shooting the hybrids with Elena.

"Yeah, Tyler blindsided him in the woods. He ripped out a good part of his throat too." Caroline took a seat at the edge of my bed. "Looks like your new friends are sticking around." She added.

"Who, Lee and Faye?"

She nodded, "They been dropping by every day. The flowers over there are from them." She pointed to a pot of lavender. "They said you made them feel right at home."

"Weird." I said and Caroline smiled.

"You have that effect on people Matt. You make them feel accepted, loved." She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. "Thank you." Her hand slid over mine and I held it. "What you did was dangerous and stupid, so thank you."

I nodded as the door opened and my mom walked in, "Hey Matty." She said leaning against the door jam.


	3. Defensive Line

Matt Donovan P.O.V.

"So I've been thinking maybe I should throw a party." My mom said standing in the doorway of my room as I slid a Mystic Grill blue tee shirt over my scarred chest.

"A party," I shook my head, "Where?"

"Here," I looked over at her and raised my eye brows, "okay how about the Grill or maybe your friend Damon could host the little get together?"

I turned to look her in the eyes, "I'm not asking Damon if we can host a party at his place and I'm definitely not having it at The Grill."

"So here then?" she asked again more optimistically.

"No I don't feel like cleaning up after a bunch of your friends. Why do you wanna throw this party for anyway?" I asked.

"Can't I get a welcome home party?" she asked sulking.

"The only people who get welcome home parties are people that are planning on sticking around." I grabbed my denim jacket of the back of my chair. "Now if you don't mind I gotta get to work."

"Well I think the party's a great idea." Caroline said as I gave her an order of fries. "We need to make some memories, good memories."

"Do you remember the last time you said that?" I asked, putting both hands on the table. She shook her head, "It was senior prank night. I think the body count was up to four before the sun came up."

"No!" she squeaked.

"Yes!" I rebuttled imitating her, "Chad, Dana, Tyler, and oh I almost forgot, me."

"Okay fine but there isn't always a-"

"The Masquerade Ball, Aimee and Sara, plus you said Elena was abducted."

"Yeah but-"

"Then there was that restoration fund raiser Mason Lockwood, Stefan and Damon were tortured, oh yeah and you got outted as a vamp to your mom. Do I need to go on?" I finished.

"No." Caroline said sulking.

A pair of hands covered my eyes, "Guess who?" Faye said and she took her hands away and slid into the booth across from Caroline. She flashed me a playful smile and Lee slid in next to her, hitting me in the arm. "Why are you so blah?" Faye asked Caroline.

"Matt's mom wants to throw a party but he's being a party zero."

"If you guys are throwing a party I'm sitting this one out last party I went to I was almost murdered by witch hunters." Faye flipped her hair, "Could I get a milkshake Matty?" she asked and I nodded walking back over to the bar.

I finished making Faye's drink when Bonnie walked up to the bar. I still hadn't spoken to her since the night at the quarry."Hey Matt." She said, and I nodded at her.

"Bonnie." I said by way of greeting and started toward the gang's table.

"Please talk to me. Nobody's answering my calls-"

"Do you blame us Bonnie? You were just gonna let Caroline die."

"Matt, please I couldn't do what you wanted me to do. It wouldn't have been right."

"You know what wasn't right Bonnie? Me leaving Elena in the woods to go after Stefan so I could save you, because if I had known then that you'd leave one of us out to dry like that. I would have picked Elena." Silence hung in the air a second but when Bonnie didn't say anything back, "I gotta get back to work. " She nodded and I walked off.

"You haven't heard from Elena have you?" Caroline asked when I got back to the booth. I shook my head. "Alaric and Damon are going crazy, looking for her and Stefan. I mean between them and the missing Originals." Her last words hung in the air as my mind raced to Kol and Rebekah.

"Didn't you say that Stefan and Elena were like crazy in love with one another?" Faye asked and Caroline nodded, "Well maybe they're just shacked up in some small cheap motel where cell signal is just a legend passer bys bring with them on their way through whatever hole in the wall they found themselves in. I mean we're in West Virginia."

"Stefan and Elena wouldn't just disappear." Caroline said eating one of her fries.

"Everyone's like that for the right person." Lee said, catching my attention for just a second until my mom walked into the Grill and my jaw dropped.

"I just solved one of our missing persons." I said and Caroline, Lee and Faye looked up to see Rebekah standing with my mom.

I walked across the Grill standing face to face with my mom and the blonde bombshell. "Matty, good I want you to meet someone." Kelly Donovan said taking her son's hand, "This is Rebekah Mikaelson. She's new in town and single." My mom added a wink to me after that last bit and I pulled my mom closer to me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, through clenched teeth.

"Lighten up Matty. She's a hottie, besides it'll help you get over Lezzie Forbes kid." My mom whispered sharply and turned back to face Rebekah happily.

"Your mother was just showing me some of her old hang outs. Apparently the cemetery was quite popular in her hay day."

"Mom, would you give us a minute." I snapped and she raised her hands and traipsed off to the bar.

"What's the matter Matt? Do you disapprove of my new friendship?" Rebekah tilted her head to the left her hair moving like strands of gold.

"Stay away from my mom." I demanded, my hands balled into fists.

"Or what exactly?"

"I still have a dagger or two left over, be a shame if one of them had your name on it."

Rebekah's eyes turned cold, "I don't bode well with threats. They hurt my feelings, and you have made it a habit of hurting my feelings."

"What are you talking about?"

"After my mother's ball you shunned me like a stray dog, an action you then repeated on the night I became indisposed, speaking of which you also let that bloddy cow Elena stab me in the back."

"You were trying to kill me. I wasn't about to give my murderer the go ahead."

"I wasn't trying to kill you." She snapped and then lowered her voice down as passer bys started to stare, "I was trying to protect you."

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head, "You have a funny way of doing it. Last time I checked torture wasn't exactly the best defensive maneuver." I turned around to head over to the back room.

"Please." She begged reaching out for my arm, "Let me explain, do you think maybe we could get a drink?" she smiled innocently and shook my head in disbelief.

I sat across from Rebekah in a booth at the other end of the Grill in a white tee shirt jeans and my letterman jacket. My shift had ended and Caroline and Lee were still exactly where I'd left them. While Faye was chatting up Jeffery Lockwood Hamilton, Caroline's fill in escort when I had to work during the Miss Mystic Pageant. I really didn't like that guy. Rebekah glanced over her shoulder to see what I was looking at and sighed, "Don't tell me your adding another girl to the list of competition in this town."

"What? No, I just… Faye and I are just friends. It's just I hate that guy, and what list."

"Well Caroline, Elena, Bonnie, and now this Faye." Rebekah rolled her eyes, "Give a girl a fighting chance Matty."

"Bonnie and I are just friends. Caroline and me are over, and Elena, " I scoffed, " she's as ancient as history gets."

"So the fact that you just twice nearly died for these girls means absolutely nothing?" she asked leaning in sliding her hand across mine.

I pulled away leaning back in the booth, "No, what means something are the scars you left on my chest."

"I like to mark my territory." She said snidely and bit her lower lip. I threw her a disgusted look and made an attempt to leave when she reached out for my hand, "Please, I'm sorry. It was a joke. One made in ill taste but a joke none the less. Sit… don't make me beg." She pouted and I sat down. "Thank you. The torture thing was a misunderstanding. I wasn't trying to kill you I was trying to save your life. If you'd gone into that field Nik would have ripped you apart."

"Yeah well I made it out in one piece okay." I took a sip of my coke.

"You were there?" Rebekah gasped, "You saw who killed my brother!" My heart skipped a beat, and a look of understanding dawned across her face, "Oh my God." She breathed, "You… you killed Nik." She stood up from the booth and I didn't make a move toward her. Caroline was suddenly at my side.

"Matt." she said putting herself between me and the Original. I stood up slowly keeping my distance from Rebekah.

"This isn't over." she finally said when she'd regained the ability to speak. "You have no idea what real torture is yet Matty."

"Rebekah's back." Damon said his feet propped up on the arm of the sofa he was lounging in.

"Looks like I'm choose the opportune time to get out of town." Katherine said, picking up her shoulder bag.

"Wait, you're leaving?" I asked as the vixen stopped in front of me. "I thought you were looking for Stefan." Katherine had remained in Mystic Falls to aid in Stefan and Elena's search.

""I got a lead, in Italy of all places. My flight heads out tomorrow." She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed me by the scruff of the shirt. Then her lips crashed onto mine and her tongue moved over mine in a fierce possessive way. She shoved me away almost as quickly and licked her lips looked over to Caroline. "He tastes like blueberries." She said to her and Caroline grimaced, "I think it has something to do with the eyes." She headed toward the door, "See ya." She shouted over her shoulder and left.

I turned back to Damon and he smirked the way he normally did. "So… Rebekah." I said after what felt like an eternity of silence.

"Right, well she obviously wants you dead. The question is, where the hell is her brother?" Damon clapped his hands together and sat up.

"Seriously," Caroline squeaked, "We need to arm up, without Stefan here we're down to just you and me."

"Look, she hasn't been invited to your home or anything right." Damon said sighing and I nodded my head.

"So…" I waited for Damon to finish, "Go home." He finally said almost angrily, "You'll be safe there and in the mean time Vampire Barbie here and I will figure all this out." He clapped his hand on my back, "Everything will be fine." He said more reassuringly.

I nodded and literally passed me to Caroline, "Get him home and then get back here so we can talk shop. I'll call Alaric get him over here with some of the white oak stakes."

Caroline agreed and off we went.

"Look don't worry about a thing. Damon's right, just stay here and we'll take care of it." Caroline flashed me a big worry free smile and I believed her right up until I walked in my back door and saw Rebekah sitting on my kitchen counter.

"Matty!" my mom said, waving me inside, "Get in here we've been waiting for you all afternoon." She said, and then when she saw Caroline added, "Could you leave the trash outside. Thank you."

Rebekah put a hand to her mouth in fake shock and hopped off the counter, "She really doesn't like you." Rebekah said pushing Caroline out of the house with one swift motion while my mom's back was turned, then snapped her neck shoving her body in the bushes near my house before closing the door and pushing me against the wall. closed the door and pushed me against the wall. She glared at me and I saw the blood rush to her face.

"Rebekah," my mom said turning around and Rebekah reverted back to her normal self. "Do you want Italian or Chinese?"

"Are we talking men or food." Rebekah bantered back playfully and stretched my arms. My mom let out the first genuine laugh I'd heard her laugh in ages.

I sat down at the kitchen table while two started talking about boys and then my mom went off to order our pizza, "What are you doing?" I asked glaring at her.

"I want to get to know your mom," She said innocently, "before I eat her." My eyes grew wide. "Unless you'd like to pick someone to take her place?"

"What?" I asked.

"Come on Matt, play along. I'll spare your mother if you pick someone to die in her place then I'll call killing my brother even. Yes?"

"I can't do that." I said firmly.

"But you can let mommy die. I'm offering you a chance to save her, its more than you did for me and Nik." I shook my head as she watched me squirm, "What about Caroline? I might actually forgive you if you chose her." I continued starring at her, "I wouldn't mind getting my hands around that new girl Faye, or her delicious boy toy Lee. Stop me if I'm getting warmer here Matt." My thoughts went to Damon and Alaric if I sent her after them would they be ready for her.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked trying to buy myself some time.

"You murdered my brother, stabbed another in the chest, and let me get stabbed in the back." She slammed her fist down on the table, "Now that I think about it. I owe you a murder and two injuries don't I."

"Rebekah, don't." I begged, and she smiled wickedly.

"Not worry we have all night to discuss this." She said as my mom walked in, "I think we need some music." Rebekah announced popping up from her seat.

"Ooooo, yes." My mom agreed, while Rebekah walked across the room and hit play on the CD player. Patterns by Band of Skulls blared so loudly from the speakers I thought they'd burst. Rebekah and my mom danced playfully in the living room until Rebekah came in to get me.

"Dance with me." She said holding out her hand, her eyes smoldering. She was crazy.

"What are you doing?"

"Dancing with the quarterback." I let her pull me from my seat and the pair of us danced our way into the living room.

"For someone whose been dead for the past 80 years you're a really good dancer." I said honestly as her hips pressed against mine as we danced back to front.

She looked over her shoulder, "Before that I had centuries of practice." She turned to look at me face to face and drapped her arms over my shoulders. "You aren't all that bad of a dancer, for someone with so little practice." I smirked, "We've danced before."

"That was a waltz." I retorted almost shocked, "It's not exactly…"

"Sexy." She whispered into my ear, and I pulled back a little to see her face.

"I don't get you?"

"What's not to get? You're a boy. I'm a girl." She shrugged as the song changed to TJ Smith's cover of One Republic's Apologize, our dancing slowed to the pace of the new song. "Everything else is just… I don't know what everything else is." I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and held her chin in my hand.

"You threaten my friends, my mom, and then you want to dance."

Her bottom lip quivered, "You slaughtered my brother. He deserves retribution." Rebekah took a step back and away from me. "I'm sorry." Her eyes drifting behind me to the kitchen, and I realized my mom wasn't dancing in the living room any more.

"Mom!" I shouted running out of the living room while Rebekah walked out the front door.

The kitchen floor was slick with blood and the knife my mother had pulled across her own throat was still embedded in her neck. I pulled a flannel shirt I'd left hanging on the back of a kitchen chair off wrapping it around her neck to stop the bleeding in vain.. My heart thundered in my chest as I turned to reach for the phone I slid falling hard in a pool of my mom's blood. The side of the kitchen table crashing against my head and I saw stars. I crawled across the floor and felt blindly for the phone. It crashed to the floor and I lay on my back, I lifted my hand to my head and pulled it away checking for blood, but I was covered in it. There was no way to tell if it was mine or my mother's. I blinked and picked up the phone, dialing 911. I waited for a response but nothing came, nothing but the dark.

My world came into focus slowly as I opened my eyes. "Matt." Caroline's mom said. "Honey." She said and I snapped upright, my hand going to my forehead. The wound was healed.

"Where's my mom?" I asked climbing out of Caroline's bed.

"Matt, oh I'm sorry." She sighed pulling me into her arms.

"No." I said, "No!" I was all that was left. Now I really was all alone. The hot tears slid down my face and my gut turned and wrenched inside. I could feel my knees giving out. I could see Faye and Lee stand in the doorway Caroline standing behind them. I just stared at them my heart breaking. I will myself to pull away from Sheriff Forbes. "I gotta get outta here." I snapped, moving through my friends.

"Matt, you can't exactly go home." Faye said.

"She's right the cops are everywhere." Lee added as I kept walking down Caroline's stairs.

I opened the front door and Caroline appeared in front of me, "Matt." She said.

"Caroline." I said stubbornly and full of grief.

She stepped to the side and I stormed past her, "We're here for you when you're ready to talk." She called out after me but I was already long gone.

"Now boarding flight 2037, to Torrino, Italy, repeat now boarding for flight 2037 on route to Torrino." The message blasted over the loudspeaker as I looked over the crowd of people.

"Matt Donovan." Katherine said and I turned to see her dressed in a stunning little black dress and a Gucci hand bag draped over her arm. She smiled wickedly.

"You got room for one more on your field trip?" I asked.

"No luggage?" she asked and I shook my head.

I could feel her eyes sizing me up and down, "Always room for one more, beside I might get hungry."


	4. Unnecessary Roughness

I turned my face away from the light streaming through the penthouse room Katherine had compelled the concierge to give us when we got here two weeks earlier. I cracked my back pleasantly and sat up. My neck still stiff from Katherine's feeding the night before. She was getting rough. I held the tender spot on my neck where the teeth markings were just the night before. I gave her mine if she gave me hers. I stood up standing naked in the Italian sunshine my body now a sun kissed gold. The scars on my chest the only thing unchanged. I turned back to watch Katherine sleep and then dove into bed. She pounced on top of me pinning me to the bed barring her teeth like a wild animal the blood rushing to her face. "Gotcha." I said, and her expression turned playful.

"You're getting better at that." She said, and raked her fingers through my hair.

"Really?" I asked.

"No." she shot back collapsing into my arms.

I let out a throaty laugh and let my fingers run through her black hair. "So what's on today's agenda?"

"Same thing we do everyday Pinky." She said and I scoffed.

"What?" she snapped sitting up pulling the sheet around her body.

"It's nothing." I said standing up and walking across the room. "I'm gonna shower."

Katherine appeared in front of me, "You think I'm wasting my time?"

"I think, you're a vampire," I reached out and caressed her cheek, "a beautiful, strong, confident woman." She leaned into the palm of my hand, "that's fooling herself, into thinking her ex still has deep down hidden feelings." she shoved me aside extremely gently and walked back over to the bed. "What is it about Stefan? You, Rebekah, Elena it's like you're all under some weird spell."

"We see the same thing in him as we do in you. You're good men." I shook my head at her answer.

"The three of you are just pathetic."

"This from the guy who's been banging his ex-girlfriend's look alike for the past two weeks." She pinched her lips together, and slid on a pair of black panties.

"I know whose bed I'm in." I answered back turning on the shower, when I turned back Katherine was almost fully clothed.

"I really don't think you do." She shot back and then moved across the room pushing me up against the wall in two seconds flat. She turned my head to the side. "When was the last time you had vervain Matt?" she asked as I struggled against her."Not anytime soon." She cooed and then pushed me aside. "You forget. You're swimming with sharks."

"You forget." I said garbbing the letter opener on the desk, "I've had your blood in my system for days now." She turned back to look at me.

"What are you doing?" she asked unamused.

"I wonder if I turned how long you think it'd take for Rebekah to track you down? I think you'd be running all over again. I think…well I'm done thinking. You think." I stabbed the letter opener into my throat and flashed to my mom. The image of her keeled over on the kitchen floor. Katherine's wrist was at my lips instantly and when my eyes finally fluttered open she was sitting at the edge of the bed and she wasn't happy.

"A whole day wasted because you decided to test my patience." She stood up and grabbed me roughly by my chin, "Good, you aren't in transition. Are you trying to make my entire existence miserable?"

I smiled cracking my neck, "You're pretty when you pout." I said sliding across the bed the sheets bunching up around the lower parts of my body.

She didn't flinch, "What you did, it's not a game. For some reason Rebekah's infatuated with you and if word got out I turned you."

I waved her off, "I'm taking a shower and when I'm done. We're getting room service." I leaned in and kissed her gently on the forehead

"I get it Matt." She said walking into the bathroom as I turned on the water for the second time that day.

"What do you get?" I snapped acidly.

"You're running, and hey that's why you wanted to come along on my little adventure you thought you'd pick up a few tricks of the trade. Hell maybe even learn how to shut off those pesky emotions that keep popping up, well you're human. It doesn't work that way. Rebekah will find you no matter where you run to. She will murder everyone you love and don't kid yourself into thinking you can take her on cause she is just as every bit as vicious as Klaus. And forget about turning off your emotions, she'll make sure you feel every second of it."

"When you have something new to tell me, that's when I'll listen." I got into the shower.

"You definitely got meaner." She said walking away.

"You have that effect on men." I shouted back.

The music boomed through the abandoned warehouse loudly around Katherine and I as we danced wildly to a dubstep remix of Emergency by Aimee Allen. The vampire's hair bobbed from side to side in perfect rhythm as my hips ground against hers. My world was on fire and everything seemed pleasantly out of focus. The drinking and drugs had lit a match and I could feel it all. "You smell great!" Katherine said to me and I smiled leaning in for a kiss. The pair of fighting for control over the lip lock, I'd been much more submissive when we'd first played this game but I'd changed since then. Even though her dominance was inevitable I still put up a fight. I slammed her up against one of the columns nearby and she gasped, sliding my hand under her shirt. I pulled away and grazed her left cheek with my right hand and she pulled two fingers into her mouth. I smiled my left hand gripping softly on her left breast, I pulled my hand free and our mouths crashed together again like an ocean sweeping across a shoreline. I slid my right hand down the front of her pants, and found what I was looking for. She moaned as the pace of the music changed and my fingers moved slower to time with our new rhythm. "You're good at that for someone whose only had a feel years practice." She bit the bottom of my ear lobe and I shivered. My left hand reached behind her and her I unhooked her bra, sliding it off and shoving it into the back pockets of my jeans my right hand still moving inside her. I moved my left hand back to her breasts and Katherine pulled my head to the left biting into my neck. I grinned as the familiar pain caused the front of my jeans to tighten even more. That's when I saw her watching us, Bonnie.

Katherine's teeth sank deeper into my flesh and I hissed in pain with Bonnie's eyes on me. She wasn't real I told myself. She was trying to say something but I couldn't hear her and then it was like her voice was too loud, drowning out the music and bringing my whole world back into alignment. "Matt!" she boomed, and Katherine drank more deeply. Then she was right in front of me, "Matt." She said clearly in a level tone. The music was gone, and so was everyone on the dance floor, including Katherine, "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Where the hell are we?" I asked. The club had turned grey and yet everything seemed so bright.

"The other plane, it's a spell Matt. What are you doing with Katherine?" she asked again, "Caroline and the others said you weren't picking up their calls."

"The others?" I asked.

"Faye. Lee." she answered.

"So I miss a few phone calls and you do some big hocus pocus to find me." I snapped back.

"Something like that." Bonnie replied sternly.

"But you'd let Caroline die." I threw my hands up in the air, "You want to know what I'm doing Bonnie? I'm having fun."

"With Katherine." Bonnie said.

"Yeah, with Katherine!"

"Well now I'm confused cause isn't she the vampire that compelled you to die in a fight against Tyler? "

"Yeah!" My blood was boiling.

"And her you can forgive, but me… your real friend." She shook her head, "You are losing yourself Matt, forgetting who you are as a person. You're Matt Donovan reliable, loyal, trustworthy,kind."

"I'm not a fucking puppy!" I shouted grabbing her by the shoulders, "I'm a man! My mother is dead! Vicki is dead! People that relied on me! Caroline is dead!" I let Bonnie go and turned to the column I had pinned Katherine to and smashed my fist into it.

"Caroline isn't dead Matt you saved her." Bonnie whispered after a moment of silence had passed.

I closed my eyes remembering how I took my eyes off her while she tumbled to the ground. "We're done here." I finally said, "Go away Bonnie."

The grey world was gone and Katherine pulled away from my neck, my blood smeared on her face. I grabbed her violently and pulled her in for the kiss of my life as my hands continued their work.

"Matt." The sound of my name woke me up gently. I opened my eyes and looked at the clock 1 in the morning, a day had gone by since my Bonnie experience and I was in no mood for a repeat. I sat up throwing the blankets off my naked body.

"Matt." The voice said again, but it wasn't Bonnie's.

I focused, "Matt." It said again coming from the living room part of the suite. I pulled on the pair of boxer briefs I'd discarded earlier that evening and grabbed the stake I kept by my bed side. I slid open the doors and there he was standing beside the coffee table, Jeremy Gilbert. "Finally." He said, "Jeez."

"Jere, is that you?" I asked to be sure and he smiled.

"Look man, I don't have much time. Elena's in danger."

"What?"

"Danger!" he said more loudly.

"No I heard what you said, I mean t what kind of danger?"

"Oh, I haven't exactly gotten this ghost thing down just yet. It doesn't come with a manual." I stifled a laugh and he went on, "Kol is pretty much trying to raise the spirit of his dead girlfriend, apparently he needs the blood of a Petrova because that was the blood that turned him. I don'y know if I'm saying this right."

"They're using Elena for some sort of spell to resurrect Kol's dead girl, and they need her blood because she's a descendant of the bloodline that made him transition?" I paraphrased making sure this was clicking right. Jeremy nodded, "So where are they?"

"The St. Martine's on Capthuleta. The belfry." Jeremy said and suddenly he wasn't the only spirit in the room.

The voice came from behind me, "Matty, don't." I turned around to see my mom.

"Mom." I said barely above a whisper, and she smiled sadly at me, nodding.

"Hey hon." Hot tears started to stream down my face, "Oh sweetie don't cry it wasn't that bad."

"Speak for yourself, I was bleed out in a field and turned to sticky paste afterward." Jeremy said and I turned back to him my face full of rage. He held up his hands and I turned back to my mom.

"She compelled you?" I asked and my mom nodded.

"Before you even got home. There was nothing you could have done." I started to sob and Katherine appeared in the doorway of the living room, our sheet wrapped around her body.

"What happened." She asked warmth in her voice.

"That's the problem." I looked up at my mom, "I can't do anything. These things they keep happening to my friends, my family and all I can do is just watch the dominos fall." Katherine knelt beside me and I felt her hand stroke the side of my face.

"You should come back to bed." She whispered with concern.

"Listen to her, stay as far away from that church as you can tonight." My mother begged.

"No," Jeremy interjected, "Tell her Matt, about all of it."

"She won't help me. She doesn't care about Elena, Jeremy." I spat, and Katherine looked confused.

"Matt, who else is here?" Katherine asked.

"But she cares about Stefan, and he's with them. He's been compelled to safeguard Elena." I processed this and Jeremy went on, "You just finished saying how you things just keep happening around you. Matt, don't let them kill her."

I looked from my mom to Katherine until finally my mind pushed my mother away and I turned to the vampire, "I know where Stefan is."

"What's the plan?" I asked looking upward.

"You handle the witch." Katherine answered handing me butcher's knife. I took it and slid it in the sleeve of my dark blue leather jacket.

"That's it? What you're gonna take down an Original without a white oak? Never mind Stefan."

"Stefan's been compelled to safe guard Elena you said, right."

"Yeah."

"Well steer clear of till I kill Kol." She smiled pulling jagged shard of wood from a large black handbag.

"How'd you-"

"You didn't think I'd leave Mystic Falls with all these Originals running around and not take myself a little insurance. Matt remember lesson one, mama looks out for mama."

I inhaled a sharp breath and the pair of us walked into the church.

Katherine kicked open the door to the bell tower and Kol turned toward us and his face went from shocked to enraged in a fraction of a second. "No security?"Katherine said, "Tsk tsk tsk." She waved her index finger at him. I could see Elena bound and gagged on the witch's altar. Stefan standing closer to Kol, but he could be in front of me any second.

"Katerina." Kol said and Katherine smiled. "I take it you're here for Mr. Salvatore." I made my way to the edge of the belfry and inched toward the witch who had not lost concentration with our interruption. "and you brought the commoner that seems to have charmed my sister." Now it was his turn to smile, "Does she know you're playing with her toys?"

The witch stopped chanting and pulled a meat cleaver from the alter he'd set up. He raised it above his head and brought it down. I ran forward sliding the knife I had from my sleeve and pushing it into the jaw of the mage, grabbing the back of his head. I screamed as loud as my lungs would let me. The rage and angst I'd held in me rushing out, I pulled the knife out and shoved it into his chest. The man's body fell limp to the floor, as I turned to see Stefan get shot by Katherine and he fell to his knees. She turned the gun on Kol and the bell rang. I rushed to Elena and pulled the gag out of her mouth.

"Matt." She plead as I used the knife to cut the rope around her wrist. "ouch!" she gasped as her blood dripped onto the altar. I lifted her into my arms while Katherine kept her eyes locked on Kol who hadn't moved.

"There's a good mate. You did me a solid." Kol said looking at me. Katherine turned to me for just a second and then a moan came from behind the altar.

"No, he was dead." I said wishing I hadn't left my knife for Elena.

Another moan but it wasn't the sound a man would make and suddenly a woman with long black hair and penetrating blue eyes stood up dressed in the same thing the man I'd just murdered wore. Her skin was the color of snow and her lips looked like they'd once been cherry blossom petals.

Kol stepped forward and when her eyes locked onto him she ran to him nearly jumping into his arms, "Jenyafehr. " the pair kissed for what felt like a lifetime and he swept her up into his arms, "Well, I'll be seeing you lot back at the Falls, thanks again." And the pair were gone.

"Jennifer doesn't seem like good news." Katherine said and went to lift Stefan onto her back.

"Stefan, please." Elena begged, her hands on his but he pulled away.

"After everything I've done. I can't go back. I can't be the man that you deserve." He replied and like that he disappeared into the trees.

"Stefan!" Elena called out and when he didn't answer she fell to her knees.

Katherine looked after him and then to me. I smiled, "Go on. Get outta here." I said walking over to comfort Elena.

"Don't forget me?" she asked walking backward into the woods slowly.

"Hard to forget Hell." I answered back playfully and she smiled.

She turned to leave and then turned back around, "God, you're hot." She said and then vanished chasing after her white rabbit.


	5. False Start

Matt Donovan's P.O.V.

I stepped out of the shower and towel dried my hair before wrapping it around my waist and walking to my room. "Morning." Faye said squeezing past me to get in the bathroom a bundle of clothes and towels tucked under her arm. I sighed and Lee made a run for the bathroom just as Faye closed the door and locked it.

He pounded his fist against the door, "Faye!" he shouted angrily.

"I've been waiting fifteen minutes!" she shouted from inside the bathroom.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I told her I had to pee." He snapped.

"I don't believe you!" she screamed back. I heard the shower turn on.

"Damn it Faye!" Lee said banging his fist against the door once more for good measure.

"Go outside!" I could hear the smile on her face.

He turned to me and I motioned for him to go ahead and he took off to the back yard. I shook my head. Faye and Lee had apparently moved in while I'd been in Italy. It was going to take some getting used to. I walked past my mom's old room and looked inside. Faye had completely taken over, her things neatly put in every nook and cranny. I passed Vicki's room and did a double take. It looked like she was still living here. Lee's things were scattered in every direction and there seemed no method to the madness. I held onto my towel walking into my room and changed into a pair of jeans and tee shirt, threw my varsity jacket on and grabbed an extra Mystic Grill uniform shirt stuffing it into my book bag. It was after all my first day back in school and to work since Italy. I'd come back only four days ago with Elena who was now staying alone in her house due to the fact that Saltzman now had a homicidal split personality.

I walked out of my room and into the kitchen. The shower was still running but Lee was back at the table looking over some voodoo book. Lee scrawled something in the margins and then looked up closing the book casually tossing it aside and flashing me a smile. "Morning." He still wasn't dressed and had on a pair of pajama pants and black muscle tee.

"Hey." I answered back, reaching for a bowl.

"Faye made waffles." He said and I noticed the pile on a plate in the middle of the table.

I looked at them cautiously, "Are they any good?"

He shrugged, "I was waiting for you. I figured if you ate them and ran off to Mexico, I'd avoid."

I smiled, "You're a jerk." I grabbed a plate from the cupboard and piled a few on. Lee slid me the syrup and I lathered the sticky maple on them.

He looked at me as I took my first bit and when I went back for a second he got his own plate, and the pair of us ate.

When we'd finished Faye walked out of the shower fully dressed and done up. I pretended to look at the watch I didn't have on my wrist, "Wow, for a girl I think that's a record." I said playfully.

"Ha ha." She said and Lee piled his plate in the sink and then walked into the bathroom, slapping Faye on the backside as he walked past her. "hey off limits." She snapped pointing at him as he slid into the bathroom raising his hands in surrender. "Off limits to ex boyfriends." She said again and he closed the door. She took a seat in the chair that Lee had not sat in and I liked that they had their own chairs in the kitchen. It made the place feel more like home. A flash of my mom laying on the kitchen floor filled my head and I shook the memory loose. "You okay?" Faye asked sliding my cleared plate in front of her and then taking the last three waffles. I nodded and she moved the syrup across the table with her mind.

"How come you can move things around like that?" I asked. "I don't think Bonnie's ever done anything like it, before."

"She can." Faye answered, "She's just B-b-boring." I smiled.

"How's your mom?" I asked.

Faye looked outside the window to the shack where she and Lee had set her up. When I'd come back Faye had said her mom had come here looking for her and that some kind of demon had attacked her. She'd needed to call Bonnie and her friends Dianna and Melissa to come from Chance Harbor and seal the demon inside of her until they could figure out a way to get it out. "She's eating." She finally said forcing a smile. "Did you scatter your mom's ashes?"

I could feel my muscles tighten. While I'd been gone Sheriff Forbes had arranged for my mom to be cremated and held onto her ashes for me until I came back. "Not yet." I answered.

She reached out and grabbed my hand, "Mothers." She muttered and I felt a grin spread across my face. "So you nervous about first day back at school?" she asked, and I tilted my head to the right.

"I'm not as worried about school as I am about Elena." I answered back honestly.

Faye rolled her eyes, "Give me a break." She got up and reached into the fridge pouring herself a glass of apple juice, "I mean between her and Cassie Blake I really don't know who's more pathetic, oh wait yes I do the brainless men who fall at their feet." She sipped her glass and Lee emerged from the shower in nothing but a towel, his normally Edward Cullen like hair abnormally smooched down.

He flashed us a goofy smile, "Your water heater, rocks." He said pointing at me before turning to change in his room. Faye and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"You wanna head over to the Grill real quick before school?" I asked.

"No." Faye said firmly, "Look I'm all for cutting classes but it's your first day back. We're gonna go to the Grill and either Damon or Rebekah or insert name of some crazy vampire will be there and then what happens you miss school again. I mean school's kind of important."

"What's important is paying the bills. If anything I should just-" she cut me off.

"Don't say it, don't even think it. You are not going to quit school so you can work full time at some crumby dive. You're better than that. Lee and I are helping out. He got that job at the book store on Laurel Avenue and I start at Crimson in like two days." Crimson was a boutique in town.

I let her reassurances sink in and shook my head, "Okay, you're right." I chuckled.

She smiled, "See, everything will work out just fine."

Lee came from the hall and clapped his hands together, "So are we stopping by the Grill before school?" he asked.

I pulled into the parking lot coincidently next to Caroline's car and took a deep breath. "It's just school." Faye said before opening the passenger side door and hopping out of my truck. I did the same and Lee leaped out of the truck bed landing squarely on his feet and the three of us walked into the school, just being inside the building seemed claustrophobic. The normality of it compared to everything I'd been through, seemed trivial. How could I care about football games and bake sales when I'd murdered a man just days earlier.

"Matt!" I turned around to see the annoyingly high pitched voice came from none other than Tina Fell. "Hey stranger haven't seen you around." I forced a smile.

"Yeah a death in the family will do that to people." Lee barked and the blonde jumped sky high and then scurried off to her cousin Blair. I looked at him and arched an eyebrow, "What she was being a bitch." He said and we continued down the hall to history.

"Faye!" Jeffrey's voice traveled down the hall and I turned to look at the same time as Lee.

"You two go on." She said leaving us real quick, "I'll catch up."

"She been hanging with him a lot?" I asked, and Lee nodded.

"Hey." Caroline said popping up next to us.

"Hey." I said back awkwardly.

Lee stood there a minute and then slapped us both on the shoulder, "That's good you two get it all out. I'm gonna head to class." He squeezed between us and walked into Saltzman's room.

"So, have you talked to Bonnie?" she asked, and I shook my head. "She's sorry Matt."

I couldn't believe this, "She was gonna let you die Care." I whispered loudly. "I'm gone two weeks and all of a sudden that's okay."

"Exactly me, she was going to let me die. If I can forgive her why can't you?" she asked her hands on her hips.

"She wasn't there Caroline. I needed her and she wasn't there for me." I snapped.

"There it is."

"There what is?"

"You aren't mad about her letting me die. You were mad because she didn't say how high after you said jump."

"Wow, really okay Caroline. Next time… what if next time you don't have me to rely on and then what Caroline? Huh!" I screamed and everyone in the hall turned to look at me. Their eyes bearing into my whole body and I couldn't do anything except walk away.

"Okay so first day back was a bust but I think I have just the thing to chill you out." Faye said finding me bussing tables after school at the Grill.

"Seeing as I had to walk here I'm gonna say first day didn't go so well." Lee stated taking a seat at the booth across from Faye.

I rolled my eyes and turned to bus the booth behind them. "Please, I'm telling you my friend Nick. Rest his soul or whatever, he used to make this potion it was a hundred percent natural. We used to take it to loosen up it's kind of like an instant drunk feeling without the hangover and dizziness." She clasped her hands together. "Please I've never made it myself and I really wanna try."

"So go ahead why'd you wanna drag me into it?" I asked collecting plates and glasses.

"Come on, I don't wanna get crunk alone." She bit her lower lip and scrunched her face and I couldn't say no. She was trying to help after all.

"Fine." I gave in.

"Yes!" she squealed and plopped back in her seat to stare at a disapproving Lee. "Lee?" she asked cautiously.

"Faye." He stated flatly shaking his head sternly.

"It's one time and it's for Matt." She whined.

He looked up at me and then back to her, "Whats going on?" I asked.

"Nothing." Faye hissed.

Lee hesitated a minute, "Just this once for Matt and then that's it." He said and Faye clapped.

"Perfect."

Faye showed me the vial of clear liquid and I arched my eye brow. I'd just gotten back from work and the kitchen was a mess, "Guys." I sighed not in the mood for dishes.

"Lee will do them. I promise." Faye said crossing her heart.

"I will?" he asked and I shook my head rolling up the sleeves of my flannel.

"No." she snapped and grabbed my arm forcing me into my chair round the kitchen table. "You aren't doing chores tonight. Now listen carefully this isn't exactly what my friend used to make. Its more potent and its sort of laced with Devil's spirit." She said biting her bottom lip.

"Devil's what?" I asked getting back up.

"It's an herb and its harmless." She retorted, flashing Lee a dangerous look.

He rolled his eyes rubbing the back of his neck, "Its fine as long as we don't do it in excess." He reassured and Faye smiled.

"Isn't everything." She answered and her logic seemed… logical.

"Okay." I said and Faye brought over three tall glasses of chilled Cola, then poured a third of the vial in each glass.

"Now normally it would just be a few drops on the tip of your tongue but because of the Devil's spirit I had to tweak it just a bit so, bottoms up." She said and the three of us chose a glass and clanked them together. I brought the cold bubbly to my lips and chugged.

When the glass was empty I slammed it down on the table and Lee followed suit. I let out a loud burp and Lee did as well.

"That's crass." Faye said and then burped herself. The three of us laughed and when that had passed looked at each other patiently.

"How long till it works?" I asked.

"Devil's spirit is usually five to ten minutes." Lee answered.

"Nick's concoction was almost immediate so I'm guessing maybe fifteen twenty minutes till we feel it." Faye added as we moved into the living room and plopped down on the couch.

Forty five minutes later, and there was nothing, "Well that was a bust." Lee said standing up, "Grill?" he asked and I nodded joining him.

"NO!" Faye whined, "I'm not going to the Grill it'll kick in any minute and when it does I don't want to be at the Grill."

"One of the herbs in your potion probably just canceled out the effects of the Devil's spirit, face it Faye. It was a bust." Lee said grabbing his jacket off the arm of the sofa.

She pouted, "Come on Faye, I'm starving." I announced and she reluctantly got up to join us out the door.

I slid into the booth beside Faye as she slid in on the side opposite us. "This sucks." She said loudly as I noticed Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline sitting at a table in the far corner of the Grill.

"Sasha!" I called out to the waitress in this section who was on shift. She turned to me a huge smile plastered across her face.

"When'd you get back?" she asked tapping her steno pad with a pen.

"You think you could sneak me three whiskeys?"

She gave me a sly smile, "Lickety split."

I flashed her back a grin as she sauntered off. "Nice." Lee said as we leaned over to catch a better view of her exit.

"Urgh, when did you turn into a creeper?" Faye asked me and I put my hands in the air.

"Hey you said I was supposed to have fun tonight. I'm a guy." I stated matter of factly and Lee hooted as Sasha returned dragging her fingers through my hair and walking back over to the bar.

"Well at least you're in the spirit of things." Faye sighed raising her glass, "To fun."

I glanced over to Elena and the other occupants of her booth, Damon had joined them. "To fun." I said and the three of us clinked our glasses together, before downing the pleasant brown warmth.

It went down smooth and then unexpected explosion in my brain and a surge of energy flared through me. "Whoa!" Lee shouted and Faye shook her head. I grabbed Lee's knee and squeezed, clenching my other hand into a fist.

"Well that's different." Faye finally said.

"What is this?" I asked covering my face with my hands inhaling and exhaling deeply before pulling them away.

"It's the potion." Lee answered, "The liquor must have triggered it."

I turned to Faye and she smiled, "We need to dance." She said and we rushed over to the juke box, "I'm picking." She squealed and Lee and I waited on the dance floor till Spark by Data Romance started over the speakers as Faye joined us. She reached for my hands and slid them down the sides of her body and to her hips. While hers looped around my neck. Lee circled us watching intently before sliding his right hand behind Faye's neck and moving his body behind her, his right hand traveling down her body till it found her midsection. I felt his left hand slide to my hip as Faye lifted one of her arms to press Lee closer to her. Everything felt magnified by a thousand, every molecule, every touch felt like a rush of fire and ice and electricity. My hands traveled over Faye and Lee's body and theirs did the same. I didn't know where either of us ended or began. Then I was surrounded entombed between Faye and Lee. She pressed against me so tightly I almost became her and the same intense pressure came from Lee as he danced behind me. The vibrations of their bodies sent waves of euphoria over me. I'd never felt anything like this.

The song ended and I was ripped away from the center by a stern grip around my wrist, I pulled away to see Bonnie's glare, "What are you doing?" she asked while Faye and Lee flanked either side of me, as Caroline and Elena did the same for Bonnie.

"I'm having…" I couldn't remember.

"Fun." Faye added, and I snapped my fingers.

"Yes, fun." I enunciated carefully.

"Oh my God." Elena rushed forward grabbing my chin and looking me squarely in the eyes, "He's stoned." She said throwing her hands up in the air.

"Relax it's a small potion." Faye sighed pulling at my arm, "Come on let's dance."

I tried to follow her away from the others, but Bonnie grabbed me again. "A potion, of course it's a potion I could sense it's effects across the room. What is it?" she was looking at Lee. He just looked at her and started laughing. The reaction was contagious and Faye and I followed suit almost falling over from the hilarity of Bonnie's remark. "Faye magic isn't a toy."

My roommate's laughter faded to giggles and then she glared at Bonnie angrily, "You're a buzz kill." She said pushing her into Caroline sending the two girls to the floor sliding across the room slamming against the small stage.

"Nice." Lee hooted while Elena reached out for me, but Lee shoved her into Damon's waiting arms.

"I told you the Grill would be lame." Faye said snidely looking Damon in the eyes. He grabbed his head groaning in pain, sinking to his knees.

"Damon!" Elena cried out while the patrons watched us.

"Let's bounce." Lee said, sliding his arm over my shoulder as Faye slid her hand in mine and the three of us walked out of the Grill.

As we walked outside I collided with Rebekah. "Matt." She said and reached out wrapping her arms around me, Faye and Lee side stepped to get out of her way. She peeled away from me smiling, "I thought you'd run off with that harlot Katherine for good." She looked relieved, "My brother Kol told me about what happened in Italy how you'd helped him."

"Helped him?" I asked listening as hard as I could but her hands on my forearms felt like winter.

"You drew the blood from Elena, killed the mage to help him bring Janyafehr back." She continued her smile still plastered to her face. "It worked we brought back Nik."

I pulled away from her, "You brought back Klaus?"

"Oh my God after you killed his mom to get back at him." Faye said and Lee burst out laughing.

"How'd you even do it?" I asked shaking my head.

"When your friends killed Finn, we found a spell that would allow us to a vampire back. So we tried it out on Kol's girlfriend and when it was a success. We did the same for Nik, once we knew we only needed a little of the doppleganger's blood. We used the bit Nik had pulled from her when he first found out about her blood being the key to creating hybrids." Lee's laughter finally died down and there was a small moment of silence as this information sunk in.

"But you needed a witch." I slurred.

"We had Maddox's cousins fly in. What's the matter with you?" she asked and I turned to see I wasn't the only one feeling a little dizzy. "You sound strange from the inside."

What was the matter with me? My head reeled and I turned to walk down the steps in the back entrance of the Grill. Lee and Faye followed as did Rebekah. I leaned against the wall a minute and felt this pull in my chest. "Matt?" Rebekah asked reaching out for me and then my heart began to race again the way it had when the high kicked in and I was better than better all over. I spun around grabbing Rebekah's wrist and pinning her to the brick wall. She struggled to get away but I held on stead fast, "Matt you're hurting me." She cried and I dawned on me that I shouldn't be able to, but I felt strong.

I leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "You wanted to be even, let's be even." I opened my mouth and bit into her neck feeling the cooper taste flood my mouth. I tore out a piece of her with my teeth. I could hear Faye and Lee cheer for me while Rebekah screamed. I moved away from her then spun her around ripping the back of her jacket off and dug my blunt fingernails into her skin then drug them down her back. She howled in pain. I grabbed a fist full of her blonde hair and then slammed her head against the wall once twice three times and she fell to the floor. I knelt down beside her as she cried, "Now we're even." I stepped over her as Faye and Lee followed.

"That was awesome!" Lee said playfully jabbing my shoulder as we walked into the Salvatore Mansion.

"Why are we here again?" I asked, still trying to wipe the blood off my mouth.

"To raid their bar." Faye said walking over to the liquor, while Lee plopped on the sofa.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and peeled off the layers of clothes I had on. I was getting warm. I left on my jeans and stared at my upper body in the mirror, sliding my hands over my torso, "I'm really hot." I said and Faye laughed wildly taking a swig from a bottle. Lee waved her over and she handed it to him while I admired my reflection some more. I could almost see my veins pumping the blood through my body.

"Property of Damon Salvatore." Lee said in a mockingly deep voice and I turned away from myself to look at him.

"What is it?" I asked walking over to them.

"Some book, got his initials in it." Lee said putting it on the coffee table.

"Let's play truth or dare?" Faye announced happily.

"Yes!" I agreed.

"No!" Lee shot back and we stared at him disapprovingly.

"Why not?" Faye pouted.

"Cuz I'm not ten." He answered back taking off his black over shirt.

"Spin the bottle more your game?" I joked and he smirked, just as the front door opened and Elena, Caroline, Bonnie, and Damon walked in.

"Great the party police." Faye whined.

"I found the potion." Bonnie snapped, "you used Devil's spirit and King's Foil?"

"So." Faye said the three of us standing now.

"Were you drinking my scotch?" Damon asked abruptly and Lee took another swig.

"So," Bonnie went on, while Elena grabbed onto Damon's shoulder, "The combination's lethal. It rips through your blood stream in a matter of hours." Bonnie said and that tearing feeling in my chest came back. I groaned and lurched forward struggling to stay upright as Lee and Faye did the same. I could feel tears streaming down my face and then in two seconds the severe pain was gone and I was better than I had been all night. It was like an intense rush. I stood up and clapped my hands together.

"Oh my God, Matt." Caroline gasped clamping her hands over her mouth.

"I feel great. What?" I asked feeling my face and when I pulled my hand away I saw the tears I'd cried were blood. I looked over to Bonnie, "You did this." I accused.

"Damon, Caroline." Bonnie said and the pair of them started toward us.

"We're just trying to help you Matt." Caroline begged.

Lee reached down and grabbed Damon's book off the table and wrapped it with a black rope he pulled out of his pocket then, slammed it back onto the table. Damon fell to the floor. "Didn't think we wouldn't put up a fight did you?" Lee said walking over to Damon who was sprawled out.

Caroline walked over to me slowly, "Matt, this isn't you. It isn't any of you. The potion it heightens everything annoyance turns to rage, sadness to depression. Bonnie has a salve it'll draw the poison out of you." She held out a tentative hand.

"Shatter." Faye said and the mirror Caroline was standing in front of burst, the glass cutting into my ex. "Don't pretend to be his friend now." Faye took a step forward as Caroline cried in pain. "Where were you this morning when he was thinking of dropping out, or when he cries in his sleep about his dead family." Lee picked up Damon's book and slammed it down again. Damon groaned.

"Matt, please." Elena begged, and there was another searing pain in my chest, followed by a ringing in my ears. I clutched my chest tightly and Elena ran across the room for Damon's book.

"Matt!" Lee shouted losing his balance and falling forward the book sliding across the room. Elena running towards it, I grabbed a nearby chair and threw it. It collided with Elena and exploded into splintered shards of wood.

There was a flash of blonde hair and I was up against the wall, knocked out.

I came around and jolted upright, Caroline looked up from the book she had in her hand and smiled, "Feeling better?" she asked, and I rubbed the back of my stiff neck.

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck. Where are Faye and Lee?" I asked

"Damon's watching Faye and Bonnie's watching Lee." She answered.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well aside from you being a complete jerk?"

"Yes." I said, fully aware of what I'd done and the guilt was already washing over me.

"You almost died. Rebekah came out of nowhere and knocked the three of you out."

"Where is she?" I asked remembering what I'd done to her.

"She left." Caroline sat there quietly and then got up to stand at the foot of the bed, "She saved your life, you know." She finally said.

"Rebekah?" I asked dumb founded. "She murdered my mom there's no way in hell I'm-"

"No, Bonnie." She said sitting down.

"I'm shocked." I said rudely getting up, and I immediately felt dizzy. Caroline's hand was on my shoulder and she made sure I got back into Stefan's bed.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked once I'd gotten comfortable, "Why are you so angrey with her?"

I waited a minute trying to think of how to explain myself, "Faye and Lee helped me save you. I didn't know them but they were willing to risk the balance of nature for me."

"If you haven't noticed that girl isn't really one for the rules." Caroline scoffed referencing tonight's events.

"Something else she did for me," I let the words spin around inside my head a minute, "I've known Bonnie my whole life and she didn't pick me. She didn't choose to help _me_."

"Matt." Caroline said holding my hand.

"No one ever picks me and here come these two strangers and for some reason they pick me, and they keep picking move to Mystic Falls take care of my home while I'm away and when I get back they try to help cheer me up."

"They almost got you killed."

"I get that, but you and Bonnie and Elena. You guys left me behind and I just feel like I'm always just trying to catch up. They don't make me feel like that."

"I get that." Caroline said and she leaned in to kiss me on the forehead.

"Knock knock." Bonnie said from the doorway and Caroline stood up.

"I'll give you two a minute." She said and left Bonnie and I alone.

"Thanks," I mumbled and she nodded, "For saving me." I looked up at her and she walked into the room grabbing a chair and dragging it to the side of the bed I was sitting on.

She took a seat and I shifted in the bed, "So, promise me you won't do something like that again."

"Take a supernatural mind boggling substance, sure." I joked and she smiled.

"This is serious Matt, you could have been hurt. The potion works with your endocrine system. It doesn't work on you the same way it would on someone with supernatural abilities."

"Guess my medium status doesn't give me any lean way?"

She shook her head, "I'm sorry. I heard what you said to Caroline and I just want to say that you're right. I wasn't a good friend to you the night Jeremy died. I was confused and scared you saw what happened to Esther, the consequences magic can have. I don't want something like that to happen to me." She said her eyes tearing up, "I'm scared Matt. I'm scared all the time." I leaned forward reached out and slid my hand behind her neck and my lips touched hers.


	6. Possession

Matt Donovan's P.O.V.

I could see Lee's fist swing at my right side and maneuvered left away from the blow, circling behind him delivering a shot to his kidneys. He spun around quickly and I kicked him in the thigh then surged forward moving my leg behind him taking him down to the mat below our feet. The ref whistled and I stood up reaching down to help Lee up to his feet. He took my hand and when the two of us were upright we took off our gloves and head gear. "Very good Donovan, clean take down." I nodded and walked over to my duffel bag grabbing my bottle of water and swallowing a mouthful. "Gilbert!" the instructor called and Elena went to face off against some tall blonde who wore her hair in pigtails.

Lee staggered over to me, "My quad, really." He sighed taking a seat on the bench, I handed him my water, "Cheap shot." He took a drink from my bottle.

"Don't leave that side so exposed." I snapped back and he handed me my water. I watched Elena struggle to get control of the match up but the girl was good. Elena sidestepped right and the girl caught her in the gut then tossed her over her shoulder backing off to give my friend time to get up. Elena got to her feet and when the girl moved forward Elena picked her leg up all the way held it to her body and spun, a move I'd seen her do in cheer practice many times. When the girl rushed past her Elena let her leg crash onto the back of the blonde and the aggressor fell to the floor as the ref's whistle sounded. Some of the people watching cheered as Elena helped the girl up.

"Nice moves Gilbert but this ain't ballet." The coached yelled as she nodded and walked over to us.

"How'd you do that?" Lee asked," Dirty dancing over here."

"She almost had me." Elena muttered massaging the back of her neck.

"Pretty sweet, where'd you learn that cheerleading?" this bulking blonde guy asked walking over to us. The girl with the pigtails striding up beside him, tucked under his arm.

"As a matter of fact, yeah I did." Elena snapped back pulling her hair out of its pony tail.

"No hard feelings." The girl smiled, "It's just been a while since someone's got the best of me." She said holding out her hand, "Glimmer." He smile sure did. "This is my boyfriend, Cato."

He sneered at her and then looked me up and down, almost like he was trying to place me. "No problem it was luck." Elena went on smiling modestly.

"It was instinct, and a good one." Glimmer corrected a strange look on her face.

"Now I know where I know you." Cato snapped his fingers pointing at me, "You're Bonnie's boyfriend, right?" he asked, a grin spread across his face. Glimmer giggled.

"Oh my God it is." She squealed happily, and all eyes were on me.

"Um yeah we've been dating a couple of weeks now. How do you know Bonnie?" I asked looking to Lee and Elena who looked as flummoxed as I was.

"Salem, we're friends of her family's." Cato said.

"I'm her cousin Rue's sitter." Glimmer added casually, "She showed us a picture of you last weekend."

I nodded, "Funny she didn't mention you." I answered back.

Cato tilted his head to the left his expression turning to annoyance, "Yea well up until last weekend we hadn't heard about you." He spat acidly and then he pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head.

"You okay?" Lee asked standing up and Glimmer shoved him back down onto the bench, glaring at him.

"He's fine." She said, "Just a migraine." It took Cato a minute to compose himself, but when he did he didn't miss a beat.

"Tell her we say hello, kay." Cato said turning away from us, Glimmer staying behind stare down Lee viciously before following her man.

"What the hell was that?" Lee asked, "She-devil went crazy for a second."

I watched them collect their things and walk out of the dojo as it started to rain.

"Matt Donovan, had enough of the drab life in Mystic Falls already?" Katherine's voice cooed over my cell phone while I drove my truck back into town. Elena and Lee opting to hang back and stay in Majestic awhile to do a little shopping, they were really starting to spend a lot of time together lately.

"Ha ha," I said checking my rearview, "Listen this the first second I've had alone since I've gotten back-" I started but Katherine interrupted with a sassy one liner.

"And you called me, boy the girls there must be losing their touch."

"Katherine." I snapped a little more urgently, "It's about Klaus. They brought him back."

"What?" she hissed angrily.

"Not so playful all of a sudden."

"How?"

"Same ritual they used on that Janyafehr in Italy. How's the Stefan hunt going." I turned right on red.

"Slow, I almost had him in Moscow but now I'm in Berlin and no sign of him."

"He knows you're following?"

"God, no." she answered back like I was the crazy stalker.

"There's something else." I said unsure if I should divulge.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Turns out while we were away our pals here in town were busy taking out an original."

"God I hope it was that cheap whore Rebekah." Katherine jibbed and I smiled.

"Think stuffy martyr." I replied.

"Finn," she mulled this over a minute, "Well if there was an expendable one it'd be him."

"Yea thing is none of the Originals are expendable, turns out you kill one and the entire blood line starting with that vampire dies."

Katherine was quiet a minute, "Are you fucking kidding me?" she asked and I slowed down as the speed limit changed now that I was officially back in Mystic Falls.

"Nope, seems they killed Finn and not an hour later his long time girlfriend keeled over along with some minion."

"Why didn't all the vampires Klaus make die when you staked him?" she asked.

"I don't know, maybe cause he's a hybrid. I mean who's to say they didn't, all of Klaus' hybrids there that night were killed before I stabbed him in the back. I mean for all we know they all did die and when they brought him back it brought all the others back."

"Well then hypothetically it won't take them long to figure all this out then will it?" Katherine said, harshly.

"Then Klaus would have his army." The realization dawned on me, "He'd be unstoppable."

"Yeah." Katherine said, I could hear the wheels turning in her head.

"So we need to figure out which Original turned the vampire that turned you." I said and Katherine sighed.

"Rose."

"Who?" I asked.

"Rose turned me. Well I turned me, but it was Rose's blood that did the trick."

"Right but who turned her?"

"I don't know." She sounded frustrated, "But I'll do some digging."

"Really, or are you just gonna turn some research analyst?" I asked .

"You know me whatever gets the job done." I smiled genuinely only slightly aware of how sick it was that I thought that was charming, but Katherine just brought out the bad in me.

I pulled into my drive, "I gotta go." I said.

"Call me if you hear anything else." She replied and I hung up getting out of my truck and walking over to Faye and Bonnie.

"Thank God," Faye groaned as the two girls stood in my front door doorway, "She was getting preachy."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and gave me a pop kiss, "Hey." She smiled and I grinned back my heart fluttering a bit looking into her green eyes.

"Hey." I answered back holding my gym bag.

"Wow, your kids are going to be literary geniuses." Faye added walking inside as I looped my arm around Bonnie the pair of us following her.

I plopped my things down as I closed the door and Bonnie did the same with herself on my couch. I walked over to her and sat down, looking around for the remote. Until I remembered Bonnie's weird friends at the dojo, "I ran into a pair of your friends today…" I'd forgotten their names, "Shimmer and Katniss." I said, and then after thinking about it, "No that's not right."

"Cato and Glimmer." Bonnie said bolting upright from her lounging position.

"That's it." I snapped my fingers, "Kind of intense pair." I coughed.

"What did they say?" Bonnie stood up and Faye walked into the living room.

I coughed again, something was caught in my throat, "Nothing just that they saw a picture of me last time you went up." I coughed again covering my mouth.

"Are you okay?" Faye asked and I nodded.

Bonnie knelt down in front of me, "That's all your sure."

I nodded again in between fits of coughing trying to get up. It was getting hard to breath. "I'm going to get you some water." Faye announced disappearing into the kitchen.

"The girl sparred with Elena, but-" I couldn't talk anymore there was a strange tightening feeling in my neck followed by a familiar coopery flavor in my mouth. I pulled my hand away from my mouth and saw the blood.

Faye came back with my water and saw the red covering my palm, "Christ." She handed me the water but when I drank it. The water wouldn't go down. I gurgled the water and felt it spill out my mouth. Bonnie got up and ran over to my duffel bag practically ripping it open. Faye stepped inside the living room as my fist clenched around the glass she'd given to me. The broken fragments slicing into my flesh as my hacking intensified. I couldn't breathe while Bonnie pulled a small black pouch from my things. "He's turning purple." Faye shrieked.

"Faye get, matches, a lighter, anything!" Bonnie yelled and Faye sprang to her feet taking off to Lee's room. I ground the glass in my hand deeper as the pain in my throat grew and grew. The edges of my world were turning black.

"Got it." Faye yelled tossing the lighter to Bonnie who caught it and set the small pouch on fire. It went up in a flash of blue and Bonnie tossed it outside on the front porch.

A rush of air filled my lungs and I screamed out in pain.

"What happened?" Meredith asked pulling the pieces of glass from my hand.

"It was a hex bag. Glimmer's especially good at them." Bonnie said. "They aren't my friends Matt. They work for Klaus, they're a part of Maddox's circle and when they found out that I had Jonas's grimoire collection they came looking for me."

I winced as Meredith pulled one of the many pieces left in my hand out. "So they want the grimoires?" Faye asked standing with her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall of the emergency room cubicle.

"Just one." Bonnie answered, turning to me and Meredith, "See witches are connected to nature. We feel everything, the earth, the wind, the rain. The grimoire they want has a spell that would amplify that gift. It would make them unstoppable. The witch that grimoire belonged to practiced dark magic. I can't let them have it."

I nodded, "You're right." I said agreeing. I reached out with my right hand and brushed her cheek, "What do you need from us?"

Bonnie smiled weakly, "Nothing, I'll take care of it. I just want you and the others to be careful. Glimmer and Cato travel with two others Marvel and Clove. They're just as ruthless."

I turned to Faye and she nodded, "Not a problem."

Lee and Elena walked into the hospital E.R just then with Caroline and Saltzman in tow. "You can't all be in here." Meredith said authoritatively.

Lee reached forward grabbing my chin turning my head from side to side, "Spell?" he asked turning back to Bonnie.

"Hex." Faye answered and he swore under his breath.

"I should've known." He said angrily, "I mean I felt like there was something off but I wasn't one hundred percent."

I let out a groan of pain while Meredith pulled out another piece of glass and my blood spurt on the table. "Yeah okay, I'm gonna be outside in the waiting area." Caroline said hightailing it outta there as quickly as she'd come in.

"Seriously only two people at a time." Meredith said and Alaric nodded.

"Alright you guys heard her." He started herding the others out but Lee wouldn't budge.

"I'm staying." He said defiantly, shoving Saltzman's ushering hand away and Bonnie got up.

"I'll go. I have somethings to check on." Bonnie said, "Take care of him?"

Faye nodded, "Of course." Bonnie leaned down and kissed me on the lips and I didn't want her dealing with this alone. "If you need any help." Faye added sincerely like she was reading my mind, "You know I'm not afraid to cross any lines." Bonnie nodded and walked out of the room, Lee sliding into the seat Bonnie had just been in.

It was a few hours later when my hand was all stitched up that Caroline barged into the small cubicle, "Caroline." Meredith muttered impatiently.

Lee who had been slouching in his seat bolted upright and Faye came to attention. "Sorry Matt." She said and ripped the stitches out of my hand. I screamed out as she bit her wrist and pushed the blood into my open mouth. "Keep security out." Caroline snapped to Meredith who got up and ran out of the curtain entrance in time to stop an officer.

"What the fuck!" Lee shouted grabbing Caroline's shoulders as my hand healed and the pain dulled to a memory.

"They took Rue." She said and I shook my head trying to process this, suddenly Elena was inside the cubicle too, and then Meredith.

"Oh my God." The doctor stammered, obviously having heard about Bonnie's little cousin.

"Can you stay with Alaric?" Elena asked turning to Meredith, "I know it's a lot to ask, but we need all hands on deck."

Meredith nodded, "Of course, go." I grabbed my sweat jacket off the hospital bed and took off with Faye, Lee, Elena, and Caroline down the hall out of the hospital.

Bonnie was pacing outside and when she saw me ran into my arms. "It's okay." I whispered and she pulled away shaking her head.

"She's only twelve Matt." Bonnie cried, pulling me back into her embrace. "We're supposed to meet them at the quarry." She sobbed.

"Do you have the book?" I asked and she nodded glumly.

"Okay, so then let's make the trade." I said.

"Whoa." Faye said snapping her fingers, "Just like that, we're giving the bad guys what they want. What happened to the consequences of magic."

"What?" Bonnie asked moving away from me.

"Oh, how quickly they forget. You were perfectly fine letting Care bear over here die months ago cause she was a vampire but these nut jobs roll into town nearly kill your boyfriend and then kidnap your twelve year old cousin and we're giving them a book that can magnify their power by like a hundred." Bonnie just stared at her, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. Then a smirk spread across Faye's face, "Don't worry. I have a plan."

"Remember in and out if they're as strong as Bonnie says they are they'll sense you the second your feet hit the grass." Faye reminded Caroline.

"I got it. Once Rue's in sight grab her and go."

"Don't try and be a hero," Lee said, "These are witches, strong ones they'd take you down in a second and you'd only be a liability."

Caroline sighed, "I get it it's The Craft versus The Covenant no room for Twilight crossover characters."

I smirked and Bonnie held onto my hand, "You're okay with this?" she asked and I nodded.

"Elena and I will be fine, Bon." I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her one last time before we made our way to the quarry clearing.

Half way there we could see the fire and then we could hear her screams, "Bonnie!" It was a little girl's voice. "Bonnie, help!" Bonnie took off ahead of us, I turned to Caroline who was about to take off after her.

"Hang back, remember." I reminded her and she nodded holding tight. The rest of ran forward and when we finally reached the clearing Rue was tied to a burning post that had already been set on fire.

"Let her go!" Bonnie cried, and Glimmer laughed.

"Let her go." She mimicked and Cato shook his head like he was in pain.

"Give us the book!" Glimmer yelled, and a smaller brunette girl stepped forward. The name Clove entered my head around the same time the tall lanky guy carrying a torch entered my line of vision and I thought Marvel. Bonnie tossed the grimoire onto the ground and suddenly the flames surrounding Rue grew.

I turned to Lee and Elena, "I really want that Glimmer bitch." Lee said and surged forward as Glimmer made a grab for the grimoire. Suddenly a knife soared through the air at Lee's chest, and then it plunged into a piece of wood that had flung itself from the pile of burning lumber at Rue's feet, saving Lee's life. I looked over to Faye who smiled at the evil imp. Lee's body crashed into Glimmer's and the pair hit the dirt with a thundering crash. Glimmer dug her nails into Lee's back and Lee grabbed her hair slamming her head against the ground. I moved over to the fire and suddenly Caroline appeared out of nowhere, and just as quickly as she had appeared she was howling grabbing her head. Cato had her in his sights. Caroline continued to scream as Marvel picked up a piece of wood and hurled it toward her, Impaling her through the gut.

"Caroline!" I screamed, and locked onto her attacker. I rushed him, my shoulder colliding with Marvel's stomach. He yelped in pain as we fell to the ground. I rolled on top of him and balled my fists crashing them down on his face over and over. The rage swelling inside me I hit him again and again and again, until I couldn't recognize his face. He was just battered meat and I knew he wasn't breathing. I stood up to see Cato walking closer to Caroline. Glimmer was on top of Lee now, the knife that had been flung by Clove now in her hand trying as she tried to overpower him and plunge it into his face. Faye was putting out the raging blaze while Bonnie was untying Rue's bonds.

I ran over to Lee, and with all my strength threw Glimmer off him. She flew a few feet into the air landing next to the grimoire. I heard a scream for Cato's help and turned just in time to see Elena push one of Clove's own knives into her neck. Glimmer's hands wrapped around the book and Cato let out an earth shattering howl and fell to his knees. "We have the book!" Glimmer yelled rushing over to his side. Elena ran after her, tackling her to the ground. Lee and I rushed over to help Bonnie with Rue who had some pretty bad burns on her legs. She was crying so wildly and Bonnie was holding her so tightly I thought she would pop her.

Elena grabbed hold of the grimoire and Glimmer screamed for Cato but his hands were on his head, "Stay out!" he screamed, and Caroline stood up, looking at him strangely. Glimmer and Elena rolled in the dirt until getting to Cato's feet. Glimmer pulled the book away and raised it in the air triumphantly when suddenly Cato grabbed a rock from the ground bashing it against the blonde's skull. There was a sickening thud and her body fell lifelessly to the ground. He snatched the book opening it tearing out pages savagely searching for something until he found it. Then another howl, "It's not here!" he shouted, than reached out grabbing Elena and wrapping his arms around her neck. She gasped and Caroline prepared herself for attack.

"It's the wrong book!" he screamed, looking around intensly.

"What?" Bonnie asked walking away from her small cousin leaving her in Faye's care.

"It only says how to amplify the bond." He gasped desperately, "I need it to stop." His eyes started to tear up and his voice cracked.

"You wanted to cut the bond between you and nature?" Bonnie asked almost confused.

"No, yes, yes, I want it stop. I can't focus. I can't breathe. I feel everything." He groaned and Caroline moved forward just an inch but he tightened his grip on Elena and she moaned, "Oh, tsk tsk tsk." He said and she stopped in her tracks.

"The others I thought." Bonnie said and Cato laughed.

"They wanted to get all these powers magnified, magnify the connection between them and the earth. I feel like I'm going mad. I just want to feel nothing. I just want it to stop." He sighed and Elena threw her head back and the sick crack that echoed was the sound of his nose breaking. He cried falling to the floor and Caroline was next to him.

She lifted him off the ground pining him to a tree. He laughed the blood gurgling out of his mouth, "Just do it. Just kill me. I was dead any way, right. A witch never goes peacefully." He said looking to Bonnie and the rest of my friends." We never go peacefully." Caroline whispered something to him just then and after a moment I heard her stifle a small cry before she snapped his neck. I sighed as she walked back over to the group.

"I'll take care of the bodies." She said, "You guys should get home." She looked exhausted and I didn't want to leave her alone, but I looked over at Bonnie and Rue, Lee and Faye.

"You sure?" I asked while Rue hopped into Bonnie's arms. She nodded, and I walked over to Faye and Lee.

"The blood should heal her fairly quick." Meredith said back at Elena's and Bonnie sighed with relief, "There won't be any scarring either so, no messy story to tell your aunt and uncle." She patted Rue on the head and got up to go join Alaric in the kitchen.

There was a knock on Elena's front door and I turned to see her answer it. Caroline stood in the doorway whispering to her, and she nodded. I looked to see Faye and Lee exchanging words in the living room, "Matt." Elena called and I got up kissing Bonnie on the cheek walking to Caroline.

"Whats up." I said as Elena and I stepped out on the front porch.

"I did something and before you both go crazy I need you to promise not to tell Bonnie." She said and I looked at Elena nervously. "Well, promise." She said and I crossed my heart.

"I promise."

"I promise." Elena muttered questionably and Caroline turned around and sitting in the front seat of her car was Cato.

"Oh my God." I sighed slamming my palm to my forehead, "Please tell me you didn't."

"I did." She said looking back at him, "I turned him."


	7. Audible

Matt Donovan's P.O.V.

Meredith walked in Caroline's house with a huge smile on her face as she dropped a cooler on the kitchen table. "I got the blood." She said happily, and Cato jumped from the sofa in the Forbes living room. He shoved Faye out of the doorway and she collided with me the pair of us slamming against the wall with such force the plaster shattered beneath me. I crashed to the wooden floor holding onto Faye protectively.

Lee was immediately at my side and then Elena, the pair of them helping us up. I looked up in time to see Cato as he pulled the top of the cooler open and ripped open a bag with his teeth. He drank desperately as the blood overflowed out of the corners of his mouth and down the front of his shirt. He threw the empty bag to the floor as I got to my feet. Lee and Elena both helping Faye who shooed them away impatiently. Cato reached for another bag as Caroline's hand was on his arm. "Relax." She said soothingly and he snarled, but Caroline's grip tightened and he shook his head, "Breathe." She said in a hushed voice and he took a deep breath exhaling slowly. The blood that had rushed to his eyes fading away and he looked at the mess he'd made.

He looked around embarrassedly and then at an extremely startled Meredith apologetically. "I'm sorry." He said looking down at his blood drenched shirt, "I'm sorry." He said again and vanished into the hall bathroom.

"Growing pains." Caroline muttered and Meredith nodded.

"That's not a growing pain, it's an aneurism. Did you see the way he just threw me aside, the way he tore into that bag?" Faye said looking to each of us, "No offense but I kind of don't want to take watch tonight. I mean if Matt wasn't there-"

"Faye." Caroline sighed pinching the bridge of her nose, "He needs us. Besides you're the only one that can do anything if he gets out of control."

Elena put her hand on Faye's shoulder, "I'll stay watch with you." She smiled weakly and Faye shrugged her hand away.

"No thanks." Faye sauntered over to the counter and hopped on, leaving Elena shaking her head.

"I was thinking maybe it's time to bring Damon in on this." Lee said and Caroline nearly jumped out of her skin.

"No!" she shouted, "He is the last person you want guiding Cato, trust me."

"Isn't he like a hundred and sixty something?" Lee asked, turning to Elena, "What do you think?"

I could see the strain in Lee's face, this was a set up. Elena had obviously asked him to bring it up to the group. "I think it's a good idea." Elena said predictably.

"Me too." Faye added, "I mean we could use the extra help."

"I'm telling you that if you would just make him a day walking ring so he can be around people the transition will be easier." Caroline begged.

"I told you I don't know the spell." Faye said rudely.

I didn't want Damon involved in this. Cato was already dangerous enough, add Damon as his mentor and we'd have what Elena had referred to as a Ripper on our hands. "I can get the spell." I finally sighed, "From Bonnie."

Caroline's face flushed, "No Matt we cannot tell Bonnie!" she cried out.

"Let me rephrase that." I announced, "I can steal it from Bonnie."

Faye tilted her head almost thrilled at the idea of committing such an act and Elena just looked disappointed in me. "Matt." She said.

"Damon's a bad idea Elena." I said.

"How exactly are you going to get her grimoire?" Lee asked, "Isn't she out of town?"

"Yeah, she's been over in Salem for a while now. The whole thing with Rue really shook her up so she's teaching her a few simple things for protection in case something like that happens again." I answered.

"Okay… so how are you gonna get the book?" Faye asked curiously smiling.

"I know where she keeps the grimoire I just get in her house, take it, we do the spell, and I put it back before she gets back, that simple." I said a pang of guilt punching into my stomach.

"You'd do that for me?" Cato asked standing in the hallway of Caroline's house. I nodded and a grin spread across his face, "So I'd be able to like walk in the sun and stuff." He said slowly almost unsure if we were telling him the truth.

"Yea," Faye snapped jumping off the counter, "I thought your coven was like all powerful. Why don't you know about these nifty rings?" she asked viciously.

He shrugged, "Klaus never needed one."

"Speaking of Klaus," Elena said, "What do we do when he finds out Cato's a vampire."

"Urgh," Faye groaned, "Can we deal with one crisis at a time thank you." She stomped her foot, "I think the less people here the better so if you aren't on watch go home."

I looked over to Cato who was obviously restraining himself from ripping open another bag or worse Meredith and then over to Caroline who nodded, "Faye's right." The blonde vampire said and I walked over to Meredith ushering her out of the Forbes home.

"You're sure this is the book?" Caroline asked as I handed it to Faye.

"Yea Caroline pretty sure." I snapped, I wasn't in the best mood after breaking into my girlfriend's house to steal her family's oldest heirloom.

"Thanks Matt." Cato said looking over Faye's shoulder at the grimoire.

"Now, we just need to make sure Rebekah's distracted with the Decade Dance." Lee said smiling up at me. I was fully aware of my assigned job. Back Rebekah's idea to turn the decade dance from the seventies to the twenties, then allow Caroline to do a mini showdown with her social nemesis and finally distract her for as long as I could while Faye and the others completed the ring spell.

"Okay then can we please skip the foreplay and get right down to it." Faye said slamming the book closed in her hands.

Everything had gone according to plan, Rebekah was happy with the attention I gave her and she seemed more than pleased when I smacked down Caroline's idea about the seventies. It wasn't until I drove her home that her suspicions began to arise. I drove down the road a bit and reached for my mobile and dialed Caroline. "How'd it go?' I asked skipping the pleasantries.

"Fine, " she said skeptically, "He's a little over zealous but at least he isn't thinking about blood, so I'm taking it as a sign that we're doing the right thing."

"I'm heading to your place now the sooner I get the grimoire back where it belongs the better I'll feel." I replied.

"Not a problem, and Matt I did do the right thing. Right?" she asked the doubt building in her voice hit a chord close to my heart.

"You're doing what you think is right, Caroline and that's a lot more than most people can say." I heard her breathe a sigh of relief and hung up the phone.

I walked up Bonnie's stairs the grimoire tucked tightly under my arm, when I heard the rustle in her bedroom. Then voices I started back down the steps slowly when her bedroom door opened. I made it to the landing and ducked into a small closet under the stairs. "She isn't here." The familiar voice said.

"Look she's probably just out with her dad or something we'll try again later." Another voice answered back a girl. "In the mean time we should try and track down Faye. We have to get those crystals back."

"She won't give them up without a fight." It was the small blonde witch Faye had faced off with at the quarry, Cassie Blake.

"It won't come to that." The other girl said.

"Diana, Faye's dangerous. When are you and everyone else going to stop making excuses for her?" Cassie squealed and I shook my head. Her voice was like nails on a chalk board.

"Look why don't you go back to the hotel with Adam and Melissa. I'll hang around here a little longer see if Bonnie comes around." Diana said.

"I don't think that's a good idea. What if something happens? You won't be able to use magic without-"Cassie started but Diana cut her off, "I know. I know. I'll be careful. Go." She said calmly.

Cassie sighed and then there was something different in her way of speaking almost like her tone went from a dying cat's howl to wind chimes, "You're right , you're enchanting enough all on your own."

I heard the front door open and then close. I waited a minute and heard Diana start up the stairs. I let out a sigh of relief and took a step back slamming my elbow against the wall. Diana's steps stopped and she walked down the stairs. "Bonnie?" she called out, "Hello?" a moment of silence, "Cassie did you forget something?" I held my breath.

I needed to know why they were here. Why they were after Faye? Sure Faye's spells had gone array once or twice but dangerous. I cracked open the door just enough to see Diana enter my line of sight. She turned her back to me and I placed the grimoire down on the floor behind me and then pushed open the door, grabbing her from behind. She let out a small scream and I pulled my hand over her mouth holding her body to mine. "What are you doing here?" I asked and she shook her head. "I'm not gonna hurt you." I said, "I'm gonna let go of you now."

I moved my hand away from her mouth and she pushed away from me so fast I almost lost my balance. She spun around grabbing a candle stick on the hall table. "Stay back." She said.

"Look if I'd wanted to hurt you I wouldn't have let you go. I just want some answers." I raised my hands in surrender and she started at me with piercing brown eyes. She was much prettier than her Cassie friend that was for sure.

"What are you doing here?" the brunette asked and I found myself staring at her cleavage. She looked down at my line of sight and huffed swinging the candle stick directly at my head. I ducked under her swing and stood where she had just stood a moment ago my hands still raised.

"Sorry." I said, "Sorry, I'm Bonnie's boyfriend."

"Yea well she needs a new one." She snapped.

"Well, maybe if you didn't dress so." I motioned with my hands as if I were fondling my own breasts.

Her jaw dropped, "My father bought me this blouse."

I shook my head, "Okay listen, we're getting nowhere and fast this way. Can't we just start over? I'm Matt, Matt Donovan.

"Diana… Meade," she put the candle stick down on the table she'd found it.

"Now why exactly did you break into my girlfriend's house?" I asked, more calmly.

"We didn't break in." she said.

"You used magic to turn the lock." I said matter of factly and she crossed her arms. "Fine. You didn't break in. Why are you here?" I asked again.

"We thought maybe Bonnie could help us get the crystals back from Faye." She said calmly. I looked skeptical, but she went on, "Look the circle is out for blood. Faye took those crystals and left the circle weakened."

"She has the right to live her own life, make her own choices." I declared angrily.

Diana nodded, "You're right but when her choices put the rest of us in danger." She brushed a stranded of thick brown hair behind her ear, "We just need the crystals."

"I'll take you to her, but whether or not she wants to help you guys is up to her." I walked back into the closet and picked up Bonnie's grimoire. I lifted it up it up to the brunette, "Be right back." I said hurrying up the stairs and putting the book back in the trunk at the foot of Bonnie's bed. I walked down stairs and Diana quickly hung up her phone before turning around and opening the front door.

I tilted my head to the right and sighed. Girls.

I pulled up to my place and hopped out of my truck then walked around and helped Diana out much to her surprise, "Thank you." She said and I nodded. There was a loud crash from inside my house and then Faye's scream. "Stay here." I said quickly to Diana and rushed inside. Lee was standing in front of Alaric his hand outstretched Meredith standing behind him holding onto his shirt.

"Lee." She whispered, I looked to see Faye laying on the floor in front of the television blood pooling around her.

I snapped, "No!" I screamed surging forward. A flash of Faye's coy grin, her laugh, the way she'd out maneuver Lee into the bathroom each morning, dancing with her and Lee at the Grill. I collided with Saltzman, and the knife he held in his hand plunged into my gut. We crashed to the kitchen floor the tables and chairs falling all around us.

"My bag!" Meredith said racing to her purse. I felt the knife twist inside me and I groaned. I turned my hands into fists and brought them down onto my history teacher once twice three times, and then he pulled out the knife. I screamed out in pain and felt the knife push into my chest. Saltzman's hand on my arm shoving me off him, I hit the fridge and slid to the floor. My mouth filling with blood I looked to see Meredith injecting Faye with something and tears started sliding down my eyes. He was coming up behind her I was trying to yell, warn her but I couldn't it came out all gurgles and bubbles of gore. Then Lee stepped up behind him stabbing Alaric in the neck with a syringe and he went down instantly. My world was starting to fade when I saw her come in to the front door. She looked from Faye to me, and ran to her friend's side.

I was dying, here in the same spot my mom had, murdered the same way Vicki had been. Lee was there and the pain searing through my body was almost to much to bear I wanted to die already. There was a small pinch I almost didn't register before I let the dark cover me.

I woke up in my bed and nearly hopped out of my skin. "Relax." Lee said putting his hand on my shoulder. "You're fine. You're okay." He reassured before pulling me into his arms. I returned his hug until he pulled away.

"How?" I asked.

"Meredith, she had vampire blood with her." He answered still sitting on the bed.

I stood up and felt my chest still a little sore I could see the pink marks of my skin where the blade had been shoved into my torso.

"How's Faye?" I asked.

"Worried you were out while quarterback. Promise not to freak me out like that again." She pouted.

I scoffed at her pulling her in for a hug, "As long as you don't go around getting yourself stabbed."

"Not fair, he only stabbed me a little and the jerk got me from behind."

Lee watched our hug a smile spread across his face. "You guys." He said and the three of us just shook our heads walking into the living room where I found Diana. My heart skipped a beat when I she stood up.

"You're okay." She said and I nodded.

"I'm fine too Diana thanks for asking." Faye snapped, "God you know someone your whole life and they're still more concerned about the hot guy they met for only a few minutes."

"I was asking both of you." Diana said back and I knew she was lying by the way her eyes held mine.

"Whatever." Faye droned and turned to Lee. "Where the hell is Saltzman? Guy owes me an A."

"He's with Damon." Lee answered. Lee and Saltzman had grown close since he'd been spending so much time with Elena.

"Good." Faye snapped.

"Who's Damon?' Diana asked.

I turned to answer her but Faye jumped in instead, "He's this total hottie bad ass combo."

"Oh." Diana said.

"Let's not forget the whole vampire thing." Lee added.

"Right," Faye snapped her fingers and pointed to Lee, "That's important, especially if you're planning on staying in town." Faye let her words sink in a minute and then stared down her friend, "What are you doing in town?"

Diana took a deep breath, "Faye."

"Diana." Faye retorted.

"We need the crystals."

Faye's jaw dropped, "No. No way, I only bound the circle because you wanted me to and now you're saying the only safe way I can practice magic on my own you want to take away from me! No." then she went on, "Besides I've already bound the crystals to me."

"What?" Diana snapped, and there was a knock on my front door. I walked over and found myself staring straight into Rebekah's face.

"Matt." She said almost unsure. "I want you to accompany me to the dance."

"Look Rebekah, I really don't have the time right now. Can we talk about this tomorrow maybe at school?" I said back and her face changed to an expression I'd never seen on Rebekah.

"He can't go with you." Diana said walking across the living room and standing beside me. "He's going with me." She smiled broadly and Rebekah's face remained unchanged.

"That's just fine." She said impatiently, "I'll just go as myself." And with that the blonde spun around. I slammed the door shut. After our car ride today I thought that maybe I'd struck a chord with her but I guess I was wrong.

"Who was she?" Diana asked.

"Some psycho bitch." Faye waved her hand dismissively. Diana's phone rang and I watched her as she answered it.

Lee and Faye motioned for me to follow them into the kitchen.

"What's up?" I asked and Faye's eyes widened, "What's up is any minute now my circle is going to come bursting through those doors trying to steal my crystals."

"Why can't you just send the crystals back. I thought you said that you bound yourself to them. You can draw their power even if you aren't holding them right?" I asked.

"It doesn't work like that." Faye said her patience wearing thin.

"So how does it work?" I asked looking back at Diana who was whispering to her friends.

"The spell called for the crystals to stay in the place I reside. They either stay here or on me. If they take them the spell breaks and my connection to them is severed." Faye looked to Lee for support.

"She's right her power will be cut off and she'll be back to circle magic central." He announced and I nodded.

"Why don't you just break away from the circle?" I asked, and Lee sighed.

"Don't you think I've tried? I mean seriously Matt." She had a point.

"So what do you want to do?" I asked.

"I don't know." Faye said clearly out of ideas. I turned to Lee who smiled for just a second and then Diana was behind me.

"Hey, so I bought you a day Faye. I told them all the craziness and stuff that happened here and they said they'll hold off talking to you till tomorrow." Diana smiled and I couldn't help but do the same.

"Why? What's in it for you?" Faye asked skeptically.

I turned to her, "Faye say thank you." I said.

Faye rolled her eyes, "Thank you." She said and stomped off into her room.

"I'm gonna head over to Elena's she's probably freaked." Lee said, "You know with everything going on." I nodded.

"Tell her I hope Alaric's okay." Lee looked surprised the expression soon melted away and was replaced by something I couldn't place.

"Yea, okay." He whispered leaving Diana and I alone.

"So." Diana said clapping her hands together nervously, "Do you mind If I crash here for the night. The boarding house is kind of cramped."

I nodded, and then quickly went into my room to go to sleep. What was the matter with me this girl was shaking me to the core. I'm with Bonnie!

I woke up to her sitting at the foot of my bed. "Bonnie?" I said groggily and she smiled.

"Hey, I came back early thought you might need a date for the dance." I sat up and smiled she placed her lips on mine and then laughed.

"What?" I was still smiling the way the sun was shining in through my bedroom window behind her made her look like an angel.

"You need to brush your teeth." She answered and I hit her with my pillow. She squealed happily and ran out of the room I followed after her, clad in only my baby blue boxers when she stopped short almost running into Diana who was wearing my gym shorts and my jersey. Bonnie turned around to face me and the smiling part of the morning was obviously over, "Really." She said pushing passed me and stalking over to the back door.

"What?" Diana asked.

"Bonnie." I jumped between her and the door.

"She's a friend of Faye's she didn't want to stay at a motel." I said quickly.

"And she's wearing your clothes because?"

My mouth hung open as I searched for a response, and Diana came to my rescue, "I asked Lee for something to wear. I spilled coffee on my clothes this morning my stuff is in the wash." She forced a smile.

"So," Faye said sauntering out of the bathroom, and took one look at Diana and pursed her lips "You aren't ready? We still have to find you a dress and accessories for the dance." Faye turned to Bonnie, "Did you hear our little Matt is taking Diana to the dance tonight." Bonnie scowled at me and pushed me aside leaving me standing in the doorway. "Rude, I was talking to her." Faye said and spun around to her room.

I walked into the gym and the jazz music was already giving me a headache. Faye said she was bringing Diana here straight from Crimson the boutique she worked at. I stood scanning the room until I found Caroline. She walked over to me happily. "Hey." She said and I smiled.

"Hey."

"So Bonnie's pissed."

I sighed, "Yeah."

"She brought Jamie to the dance."

"What?"

"Yeah, look I love Bonnie and all but I just think that-" I didn't hear the next words that came out of her mouth because standing behind her was Cato.

"Hey." He said happily, dressed in a black suit and fedora adorned with a red rose.

Caroline spun around jaw dropped, "What are you doing here?" she asked shocked.

"You said there was a twenties dance. I've never been to a theme dance before. It's cool." Cato looked around impressed, "We talked about this. You have to keep a low profile if Klaus or Rebekah see you."

"I'll be careful." He said putting his hand on her shoulder, "Look see how cool and collective I am around all these people. I've got this."

Caroline looked unsure.

I waited another fifteen minutes periodically looking at the door for Bonnie and her date, when the pair walked in. He looked stupid in that hat and I took my own off. There was a tap on my shoulder and when I turned around there she was. Her dress was a deep cobalt blue and her hair was done up, the pearls that hung around Diana's neck left me breathless. "Wow." I stammered and she smiled broadly.

"I wanted the dress to match your eyes." She said and a grin of my own spread across my face, "Is that cheesy. Faye told me not to say that but it was true and I think that when people lie than they keep lying and then you're stuck in this big-" I slid my hand around her waist and pulled her close to me.

"Dance with me." I said and she nodded.

Caroline's voice rang out over the crowd and announced, "How about a break from the twenties?" The dance floor cheered and Caroline pointed to Jeffrey Lockwood Hamilton who was the DJ (Faye standing beside him) and Revive's _Blink_ started to play. I looked down into Diana's big doe like brown eyes and my heart skipped. Moving with her on the dance floor was magical. It was almost like everyone else had faded to black and it was just us.

The words of the song moved through my entire body as I touched hers. My hands firmly on her sides while hers draped over my shoulders, "You make me feel…" she said trailing off shaking her head staring into my eyes.

"Yeah me too." I answered back there weren't words.

She leaned her head against my chest and I felt the smile spread across her face. It was like everything was spinning just slightly like I was seeing the world through stained glass. We continued to dance through the song that seemed to be telling our story, the music fueling our connection further. "Matt." Her voice broke through my foggy daze of bliss and Caroline came into focus. "Matt." She nodded toward the entrance and there were the Originals, Kol and Klaus but strangely no Rebekah. The vampire Kol had rose in Italy was there, Janyafehr and she was on his arm.

"Cato." I whispered, "Where is he?"

She shook her head, "I don't know."

"We'll find him." Diana said reaching out and taking Caroline's hand.

"Thanks." Caroline said and when she turned around Klaus was there offering her a dance.

I met Faye and Lee with Diana outside the gym, "Where's Elena?" I asked and they both shrugged.

"Can we please focus on one missing person at a time." Faye whined, "Jeffrey is waiting."

Lee nodded adding, "Seriously .

"Fine." I agreed, holding Diana's hand. "Diana and I will check the pool first then move our way around the inside the school. You and Lee can take outside." We all agreed and went off in our separate directions. The pool had been a bust so we started searching classrooms. One by one till we found Cato talking to Blair Fell. She turned around to go into her locker and he leaned in close.

"Dude!" I called out and he turned to me his eyes flooded with blood. Blair looked over in my direction.

"Can we help you?" she said rudely.

"We need Cato for punch patrol, sorry." Diana said apologetically as I ushered Cato outside the nearest exit.

"What were you thinking?" I snapped and he smashed his fist against the side of the school punching out a corner of the concrete.

"I wasn't." he snapped back, "I gotta get outta here." He resolved.

"Yea, Klaus and Kol just showed up." I added and a look of terror spread across his face.

"Okay." He said and then took off toward the woods before slamming into something and falling flat on his back.

"Oh my God." Diana shouted and we rushed over to his side. He was getting up when we reached him.

"What hit me?" he asked confused, and I looked around in front of him.

"No." Diana said looking to the ground, "It's a barrier spell." She said looking up at me. I could see the salt line drawn on the ground and attempted to step over it. Not a problem, "Designed for vampires." I mumbled.

"What do we do?" Cato asked as we walked back inside the school.

"Can you take down the barrier?" I asked.

Diana shook her head, "Not without my circle."

I saw Damon coming down the hall and pushed Cato into an empty class. He pointed a finger at me and waved me over. I turned to Diana, "Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble." I said and then jogged down the hall to Damon.

"Hot date." He said.

"What do you want Damon?" I asked quickly not liking him so close to Cato and Diana.

"Alternate Alaric and big mama witch have Elena. There's some kind of barrier up around the school I can't get out, none of the vampires here can. Bonnie's done a locator spell she found her."

"Where is she?" I asked the pair of us walking down the hall.

"Some Bennett witch crypt." I knew where it was just as I collided with Faye and Lee.

Faye looked around, "Where's Diana?" she asked shocked.

"She's fine. I left her with…" I trailed off I remembered the look on Cato's face before we'd gotten him away from Blair.

"Cato." I breathed and the three of us took off down the hall. I burst through the classroom door just in time. Diana screamed out as Faye focused. Cato stopped put his hands on his head and slid down to the floor, groaning in pain my date's blood coating his face. I rushed into the room and looked at Diana's neck.

"I'm fine." She reassured and wrapped her arms around me.

"What the hell is this?" Damon asked, standing in the doorway.

Faye drove her car more recklessly than I had ever seen before. "Okay so who else is super happy they aren't Caroline right now?" Lee asked loading his Alaric's crossbow.

"Yeah, can't say I wanna be her at the moment. Did you see the way Damon stared her down? If she was ice she'd have melted." Faye added. I cocked my rifle, and looked to the front passenger seat where Diana was sitting. She was watching me closely, and we smiled at each other while Faye went on, "And is anyone else super pissed off that the dance got crashed, with all this crazy nonsense. What kind of inconsiderate bitch holds a sacrificial rite on the night of a high school dance." She turned left , and then stopped abruptly. We were here.

"Okay so here's the plan." I said once we all hurried out of the car, "Lee and I come up first. Faye, Diana, hang back and watch in case we need some back up." They nodded in agreement and we started off into the darkness. Lee and I leading the way, until we reached the crypt and the witch showed herself.

"Fools." Esther proclaimed as she flung Elena to the ground before us.

"Elena!" Lee shouted as he took aim on the Original witch. I followed suit and she grimaced.

"You would lay down your lives for the very creatures that prey on you." She declared, and I pulled the trigger but my hand didn't move. "So be it." I felt my rifle turn toward Lee and saw Lee's crossbow had me in its sights.

Faye and Diana emerged out of the woods, "Cut the strings. Restore the will of our men." They said over and over as Lee and I struggled to turn our weapons back to Esther.

The woman smiled, "My sisters, please do not do this. You belong at my side not-" her words fell to silence and hung in the air as her lifeless body slumped down to the earth below Alaric standing behind her, blood covering the knife in his hand.

Bonnie lit the candles magically as Alaric came out of the crypt to see us all one last time. Caroline and Cato stood side by side, then Faye, Lee, and I, and finally all the way to the left Elena, Damon, and Meredith.

I walked back to the car where Diana was waiting Faye following close behind me. Lee had opted to stay with Elena a little longer, and then meet the three of us at the grill for a drink.

Diana wrapped her arm around me before the three of us climbed into the car, Faye up front while Diana and I sat in the back. "Wow okay I guess I'm a chauffeur."

There was a bang on the window that made the three of us jump and the front passenger door opened and Cato's head peeked inside the car a broad grin plastered on his face, "You mind if I ride with you guys. I didn't know the guy at all and the only people there are hardcore mourners so, kind of uncomfortable." He hopped in and buckled his seat belt. Then unbuckled it and turned to me and Diana, "I always forget, indestructible now. I don't need a seat belt."

"Um, I'm not getting some fifty dollar fine cause you can heal yourself if you go through my windshield. " Faye turned on the car radio and Diana got under my arm and moved in close. Taylor Swift's _Enchanted_ came on.

Cato made a face, "Really?" he asked and Faye glared at him.

"Look I missed my chance with Jeffrey tonight so if I want to listen to a little Taylor Swift who by the way isn't in my normal musical repertoire. I reserve the right to, got it!" she snapped and Cato held up his hand in a mock surrender.

The lyrics went in one ear and out the other, Diana so close to me seemed to block out everything else. Then just as quickly as Cato had appeared she pulled away from me. "Oh my God." She whispered.

The car came to a screeching halt my head slamming against the back of the passenger seat. "Cassie Blake." Faye hissed and pushed open the driver's side door. The small blonde stood in front of the car, "Are you crazy?" Faye continued but I turned my attention to Diana who was trying to get out of the car.

I reached out and grabbed her arm, "What's going on?" I asked and her eyes were filled with tears.

"It's a spell." She said and climbed out of the car. I followed her and Cato followed me.

"What's a spell?" I asked spinning her around to face me.

"All of it. All of it." She gasped and turned to Cassie. "You cast a spell on me!" she shouted bitterly and Cassie's expression remained unchanged.

Faye turned to us and realization spread across her face. It was like light bulbs were going off for everyone but me. "This is real." I said grabbing hold of Diana shaking her searching her brown eyes for confirmation. I pulled her to me our lips meeting and it was like an explosion of fire and ice. Diana pushed me away from her and fell to the paved road beneath my feet.

"I thought maybe Matt might tell you where the crystals were." Cassie shouted.

"It's an infatuation spell." Cato said shaking his head. Then the blood rushed to his eyes, "Bitch!" he called out and charged Cassie, who hadn't noticed that Cato was a vampire. The blonde panicked and stumbled backwards as Cato's jaws sank into her neck. She continued to yowl as Faye knelt down to help up Diana. Cato pushed the small witch aside and she flew into the woods along the road side. He turned to me that same smile he'd had on earlier when he jumped in the car back on his face, "I didn't kill her."

"You should have. Casting on Matt and Diana, only I can do that." Faye snapped and Cato shrugged walking over to the direction he'd thrown Cassie in. "No!" Faye shouted, "Let's just go." Cato looked a little disappointed but got back in the passenger seat.

Faye helped Diana into the car and when I went to go into the back seat Faye gave me the keys, and she slid in next to Diana.

Lee was already there at the Grill when I showed up. I told him what had happened between Diana and I how Faye had broken the spell with Cato's guidance and now all I had was the memory of what she was to me. Lee talked about Saltzman and we toasted him. A tear slid down the side of his face after our first shot and I couldn't help but wipe it from his face. He reached out grabbing onto my hand and held it a second before letting me go. People had a habit of letting me go.

And just as that very thought crossed my mind there was a sound from the back entrance. I grabbed the bat under the bar and Katherine walked back into my life. "You two look cozy." She announced smiling wickedly.


	8. Time Out

Matt Donovan's P.O.V

"I thought you were heading home?" Lee asked looking over to Katherine.

I looked to him and raised an eyebrow but when I turned to the vampire vixen she just smiled happily and imitated Elena, "Oh Lee," she sighed, "I just don't know if I can do this, stay in that big house all alone." She walked up to him, and touched the side of his face my thumb had just traced. Then looked over at me her eyes flashing giving herself away for just a moment, "Did I interrupt something?" she asked, and I tilted my head to the left.

"What?" Lee asked awkwardly. Kat rolled her eyes and snatched Lee's bracelet off him, "Elena!" he shouted and her skin hissed as she came into contact with the vervaine. Lee stood up, and Katherine grabbed him by the neck.

"Katherine!" I shouted and she gave me an aggravated look, "I'm not gonna kill him relax." She said, and then looked into his eyes. "Stay here, standstill, and speak when spoken to, got it." She turned back to me letting Lee got. He adjusted his jacket and did what she's commanded. "Now, how about a proper hello for your favorite sex kitten?" Katherine said pointing to her cheek and I shook my head.

"He's my friend. You can't just compel whoever you want Kat." I said and she waved her hand dismissively.

"Really just friends?" she snorted, "You brushed a tear from his face, hello gay." She walked around to where I was standing behind the bar. She opened her arms and I gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She smiled, "There's my boy. Now where do they keep the good stuff here?" she glanced over the bar selection.

"I'm not gay." I said belatedly to her comment.

She let out a squeak of excitement and grabbed a bottle of jack off the top shelf. Then turned to me and smirked, "I remember a few times in Italy when you found yourself in the middle of a few of our more colorful threesomes." She raised an eyebrow and I took out two glasses.

I rolled my eyes, "Don't throw that in my face." I snapped back as Kat poured me a glass.

"I'm not throwing anything. Do you remember that one guy it was like an elephant's trunk." I laughed at her exaggeration, "You took it like a champ though." She nudged me with her hip and my smile stayed in place.

"I missed you." I finally said and she downed her drink before replying.

"Of course you did. I'm fun and this place is dull. Speaking of dull, " she turned to Lee, "How is Elena? I mean you're her new BFF so."

"None of your business." He answered.

"Tell the truth." Katherine compelled.

Lee clenched his jaw, "Sad." He finally answered and she looked over to me.

"Typical." She poured another glass.

I shook my head, "She's lost a lot." I said.

Katherine suddenly flashed over to the juke box, "Fast or slow?" she asked.

I turned to Lee and she groaned, "Is he making you uncomfortable?" she walked over to him and slid her hands over his front, "do you like that?" she asked.

"No." he spat immediately.

"Ooh well that hurt my feelings." She snapped grabbing a handful of hair.

"Katherine!" I shouted making my way around the bar, "Cut it out."

Anger blazed behind her eyes but it quickly dissipated, "Fine," she replied, letting go of his hair. "He can go home." She said and I grabbed Lee's hand but he didn't move, "I want you to kiss him." She smiled coyly putting her hand to her mouth.

"Katherine." I growled not in the mood for her games.

"Come on, I heard what happened today with the witches. Just one kiss." She sauntered over to me and slid her fingers through my blonde hair, urging me closer to Lee.

"Don't you want this Lee?" Katherine asked and just as our lips met he breathed his answer. The Yes crashed against my body and his stuble brushed against my face in a pleasantly painful way. His tongue slid over mine as my arms wrapped around his body. Katherine's grip on me loosened then disappeared. The kiss intensified and I could feel my body tightening against my pants.

Lee's own hardness pressed against my leg. Lee pushed me away softly and my eyes opened. His smile shining through my mind like a beacon, Katherine came in between us, pulling Lee aside. "Take your bracelet on the bar there and go home. You'll go straight to bed and forget what happened here. You'll just remember drinking too much," she turned around to watch my expression and when it remained unchanged she continued, "You'll remember nothing passed coming here. Understand?" she asked and he nodded.

"Forget my kiss, my tear, his hand." Lee said mindlessly.

"Very good." Katherine grabbed him by the cheeks and smooched them together, "Now go." She turned back to me and I watched Lee leave under Kat's compulsion. "And then there were two." She smiled happily. I could still feel his hot breath against my lips and the feel of his body against mine.

Katherine went back to the juke box and pressed a few buttons before _Touchin on My_ by 3OH!3 blared loudly and bringing me out of my strange trance, "Now that you had a little appetizer, how about the main dish."

My hands went over her breasts one last time as she called out my name in ecstasy and I groaned releasing myself into her. My legs were shaking and every part of my body was drenched in sweat. Katherine fell forward her hair draping over my shoulder as she giggled. I almost felt dizzy. I hadn't had sex since Italy. She bit my nipple playfully and I groaned. We laid on the bar of the Grill in each other's arms as the songs changed over and over. Katherine got up without notice and hopped down gracefully. I watched her slide on her clothes all over again. The long black empire waist shirt was slid on last for dramatic effect and I jumped down off the bar just sliding on the pair of gray slacks I'd worn to the dance. I reached out touching her soft caramel toned skin and _Marilyn Monroe_ by Nikki Minaj started.

Katherine looked up into my eyes, her own filled with tears, "What happened?" I asked and she buried her face in my shoulder. I could feel her hot tears slide down my torso. I'd never seen Kat cry, I'd never seen her vulnerable. "Katherine." I said softly prying her chin up gently to look at me.

"I can see forever like this." She whispered and I leaned in to kiss her. Our lips met and it was like Italy all over again but now something was different she was giving me a part of herself. She was letting me in. I pulled away just enough and our eyes stayed locked on each other. "Come with me." She whispered, "Our whole life would be this one epic saga of decadence, warehouse raves, beach front property, whoever we wanted, whenever we wanted, royal balls. You look dashing in a tux." She added and I smiled, but when I didn't answer she went on, "I'd turn you, him to if you wanted."

"It's not him." I said remembering the way Lee's lips felt, "It's not you." I thought trying to say this just the right way, "It's all of it. Everything, I couldn't just run off again." The music continued to play softly and Katherine pushed me away.

"Fine." She hissed wrapping her arms around her like she was too cold.

"You have Stefan, Katherine. He'll always come first, and I won't be that guy." I answered back.

She turned on me angrily, "What, the guy that gets the girl?"

"No" I sighed, "The second choice." The words hung in the air, the song ended and her expression softened. Then like a dream she was gone.


	9. Blitz

One Year Later

A lot had changed since that night with Katherine. Elena had became a vampire and ran off with Stefan, Bonnie became the anchor for the other side a place spirits resided including my dead sister Vicki who I later saw get pulled into oblivion. Caroline and I left Mystic Falls traveling to New Orleans in search of a way to save my sister but instead found that a night of passion shared between Faye and Klaus would result in a pregnancy. Racing back to Mystic Falls we had not arrived in the nick of time and Sophie Devereaux's prediction had been true.

The witch then pulled us into a war by linking herself to Faye and the baby forcing us to Louisanna where Klaus proclaimed to regain the city once lost to him. After leaving behind Sheriff Forbes, Meredith, Bonnie, Cato, and an emotionally unhinged Damon with his new partner in crime Enzo who I've yet to meet, we were surrounded by strangers we had to trust with our lives like Sophie (who was later murdered by her own neice Monique) and Josh (newbie vamp, gay club kid). Then there were faces I had not expected to see like my cousin Cami and Klaus' presumably dead proginy Marcel.

Then Rebekah had been run out of town by Klaus after a betrayl from the past was brought to light by Genevieve, a witch resurrected and an unexpected ally to Klaus and my friends. However it was tonight that her knife plunged into our backs when she fashioned moonlight rings to aid a dangerous unseen enemy. Humans with a dormant werewolf gene just waiting to be triggered at the precise moment. These rings which Genevieve fashioned left the wolves strong and Klaus weak. Faye had been taken and brought to the Graveyard where the Quarter witches burried their dead. Klaus led the charge as we made our way through the maze of head stones and mausoleums. Elijah and Caroline followed closely behind Klaus while Lee and I held up the rear. "Let go of me you bitch!" Faye screamed as Monique one of the Harvest girls( The Harvest was a ceremony performed by the witches to revitalize their power by slaughtering four young girls and resurrecting them. It was demented and cruel but not all the Harvest girls had gone mad. Davina was the lone witch that had not transformed into a religious zealot) held her down.

Klaus filled with rage stormed forward tearing one of the seven witches that stood by Genevieve and the others in half. The other Harvest girl stood forward raising her hand to Klaus tossing him magically through the air and pinning him to a wall. "You should know this brings me no joy." Genevieve said as she grabbed a knife off the alter they had set up beside the tomb Faye was laying on.

Caroline and Elijah vamp sped forward but were on their knees a moment later. I raised my rifle shooting the witch who had raised her hand to them and Lee tackled a man coming up from behind me. The two scrambled on the ground as I relaoded my gun. Faye screamed in pain while Lee blew a handful of herbs in the mans face said a few choice words and set the man on fire.

Monique let go of a shrieking Faye and walked over to the other Harvest girl. The two of them snapping Klaus' neck as he fell to the ground. Then their focus was back on Caroline and Elijah. Genevieve raised her athame over head chanting as Faye shrieked in labor. "No!" Caroline yelled and Elijah reached out overcoming the witches grasp on him just long enough to throw a potted plant toward Genevieve knocking her back and the blade from her grasp.

A third witch joined the two Harvest girls and my friends screamed louder in agony as Faye tried to stand. "You fools, "Monique said, "to come agianst us in our place of power, in our strongest hour. You don't face three. You face us all." I cocked my rifle and pulled the trigger. Monique stepped away from her allies and toward me my bullet scattered and suspened in front of her. She recoiled her hand and I dove behind a mausoleum just as she sent it back in my direction. "You align yourself with those that will surely destroy you." She said walking past Caroline and Elijah. Lee watched as Genevieve stood to her feet scrambling for the knife as Faye screamed in agony. He ran over to her kicking the athame from her hands and head butting the red headed witch.

Monique lifted me into the air magically and threw me against the tomb Faye was on. Lee knelt down beside me and was immediately tossed aside, his head slamming against the slab of concrete beneath him. I got to my feet and Monique slid me across the small courtyard with the flip of her wrist and into a gigantic stone cross that tumbled on top of me trapping my legs. There was blood coming down the croner of my mouth as Monique smiled watching me try to pry myself free. "You think you are one of them?" she walked slowly kicking pieces of rubble out of her way, "They would surely let you die if it meant saving-" Then there was a loud snap and Monique fell to the ground lifeless revealing the one and only Katherine Pierce standing behind her. "Miss me?" she smiled slyly, shrugging her shoulder and then sped off sinking her teeth into Harvest Girl. The other witch panicked and ran for the knife that Genevieve now regaining conciousness had dropped earlier. Elijah reached the witch first and pulled her arms from her body leaving her to bleed out.

Genevieve was on her feet and Caroline in front of her in the blink of an eye, "Klaroline forever BITCH!" she said before punching her in the face sending Genevieve back to dream land.

"A little help here!" Faye cried and Caroline super sped to her side instantly coaching her through the rest of the birth. Katherine helped me out of the rubble while Elijah healed Lee with his blood.

"Almost there!" Caroline said beaming happily as Klaus rose to his feet. Faye sighed and Caroline took the newborn into her arms. I held Faye's hand as Caroline gave Faye her daughter. Klaus walked over tentatively and smiled, seeing his daughter for the first time. It was in that moment that I saw what Caroline had seen in Klaus all along, why Rebekah had stood by him all these centuries, and how Lee and Elijah could put up with his demanor. It was there clear as the sun broke over the cemetary where this baby girl had been born, hope.


End file.
